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UC President Orders New Guidelines On Campus Police Use Of Force

DAVIS (KCBS) – The president of the University of California has called for new guidelines for police use of force in the wake of incidents between officers and student protesters on UC campuses.

UC President Mark Yudof said he was appalled by the recent video of UC Davis police pepper-spraying seated student protesters, and by the footage of UC Berkeley officers striking students with batons.

Yudof said he still has confidence in UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, even as many students and faculty there don't.

Davis sophomore Cameron Graver-Dowd said establishing new police use-of-force guidlines is a move that is long overdue. "There are better solutions," said Graver-Dowd. "There are better ways to remove tents then to call in riot cops."

KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:

Graver-Dowd was among the students not satisfied by UC Davis Chancellor Katehi's brief appearance at Monday's Occupy Davis general assembly.

"I'm here to apologize, I really feel horrible for what happened on Friday," she told the crowd, amid heckling and chants for her to resign.

Law student Sam Hoel said the close-quarters heckling of Katehi was disrespectful and dangerous.

"I got the definite sense that she was in fear for her safety, and I got the sense that the people around me were on edge, ready to do something that was unsafe," said Hoel. "That's inappropriate and unacceptable on this campus, and it's what the protestors are protesting against."

Occupy Davis plans to stage a general campus strike next Monday, when the UC Regents meet at both Davis and UCSF.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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