Matt Wood

Texas State University is being asked to change its procedures regarding what happens when someone is caught with marijuana. Matt Wood has more on the story.

The student government at Texas State has voted 45-to-3 to have the University Police Department implement a policy known as Cite and Release. The state legislature in 2007 approved a law allowing localities to decide for themselves whether to adopt Cite and Release.
If implemented, it would mean that people caught with small amounts of marijuana, along with several other minor offenses, would only be cited, rather than taken to jail. In the end, suspects would face the same punishment but the initial pre-conviction jail time would be removed.
Proponents of the procedural change say it would save valuable resources because police officers would not have to transport non-violent marijuana offenders to jail.
Texas State NORML President and A-S-G Senator Kevin Kutras authored the bill.
[Kutras soundbite: why he put it forward]
Besides NORML, the Texas State Young Americans for Liberty backed the bill. Y-A-L collected hundreds of signatures from students. The group's president, Dustin Brennan, says implementing Cite and Release would free officers to deal with more serious crimes.
[Dustin Soundbite: better use of resources]
University Police Department spokesperson Sue Stewart says having a Cite and Release policy doesn't free up as many resources as some people think.
[Stewart soundbite: "we still have to do our paperwork, we still have to do our report, the only thing that it prevents us from doing is taking someone to jail."]
The Student Government does NOT have the final say in implementing the policy change. It must be approved by university officials for it to be enforced.
A-S-G Chief of Staff Vanessa Cortez says that it's important for officials to listen to what the students want.
[Cortez soundbite: "We are the representatives of the student body and what we say and pass should have a remarkable influence on what the administration does, and so I hope they will make the decision that the study body wants."]
Vice President of Student Affairs Joanne Smith says she will make the final decision and will give consideration to the A-S-G proposal. But Brennan and Kutras say they're concerned that the students' wishes will not be seriously considered.
[brennan or kutras soundbite on student government]
Vice President Smith says she has not yet received the A-S-G paperwork for Cite and Release and cannot comment on what action she will take.
Except for U-P-D, the law enforcement agencies in Hays County follow the Cite-and-Release procedure.
[Wood Standup: ...For Bobcat Update, I'm Matt Wood}