Police say man broke in to Celine Dion's home (AP)

MONTREAL – A 36-year-old man has been charged after he allegedly broke into singer Celine Dion's home near Montreal, raided the fridge and even took the time to pour himself a bath, police said Tuesday.

He was nabbed by police in the Montreal suburb of Laval on Monday afternoon after the alarm system went off.

The international pop superstar and her husband, Rene Angelil, were not at home at the time. Dion and Angelil usually live in Florida but use the Laval residence when they come home to Quebec.

Laval police spokesman Franco Di Genova said the suspect was getting ready to take a nice hot bath when police arrived with a canine unit.

"He opened the water faucets, was pouring a nice warmish bath (and) he even managed to eat some pastry that was in the fridge," Di Genova said.

Di Genova said police worked their way through the house, starting with the basement and finally confronted the man on the main floor.

"The suspect was coming down the big staircase and was asking: `Hey, guys what are you doing here?'" Di Genova said.

"So the officers replied: `What are you doing here?' and they proceeded to put him under arrest."

Di Genova said the man had jumped a fence to get on the property and used a garage door opener that he found in an unlocked vehicle to gain access to the luxury residence.

Daniel Bedard, a Laval resident, was arraigned Tuesday on charges including breaking and entering, auto theft and causing property damage.

Di Genova said there was another incident at Dion's mansion in 2009 when another man jumped the fence, but was stopped by the security firm that was keeping an eye on the property before he could enter the home.

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Kim Kardashian wedding prompts 22 calls to police (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Kim Kardashian's weekend wedding kept the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office busy.

Officer Drew Sugars says the Saturday evening ceremony brought 22 calls into the station, mostly complaints from neighbors about loud music and helicopters overhead.

Sugars says seven deputies were hired to provide supplemental security at the nuptials, which were held at a private estate in Montecito, Calif.

No citations were issued, and no arrests were made.

Kardashian's marriage to professional basketball player Kris Humphries was filmed for a forthcoming TV special.

It is the first marriage for the 26-year-old athlete and the second for the 30-year-old reality star, who appears on E!'s "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

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DC police demotion follows Sheen escort dustup (AP)

WASHINGTON – The commander of a District of Columbia police division who publicly clashed with the chief over the use and frequency of police escorts for celebrities after the Charlie Sheen ride has been demoted.

Hilton Burton said he was transferred out of special operations and demoted to captain in the medical clinic for injured officers. He said he believes his demotion was in response to his June appearance before the D.C. Council, in which he said police escorts were routinely provided for celebrities visiting Washington.

The testimony contradicted statements by Police Chief Cathy Lanier. She had said a police escort from a northern Virginia airport for Sheen in April violated department policy because of its speed and use of sirens, and that escorts weren't generally intended for celebrities.

Lanier told reporters Tuesday the demotion had nothing to with Burton's testimony.

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Police: K-9 sniffed drugs on rapper Big Boi (AP)

MIAMI – Police say a K-9 dog smelled drugs on Grammy-winning OutKast rapper Big Boi as he was getting off a cruise ship in Miami.

A warrant from Sunday's arrest released Monday says customs agents patted down the 36-year-old rapper, whose real name is Antwan Patton, and found Ecstasy and Viagra pills and a cigarette roller with marijuana residue. Patton was also accused of carrying MDMA, which is the main ingredient in Ecstasy.

Big Boi was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The rapper was released on $16,000 bond.

Phone and email messages left with his publicists were not immediately returned.

The Atlanta-based group OutKast won six Grammys and churned out six platinum-plus albums, including "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below."

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McCartney: I'm going to police over hacking claim (AP)

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Raphael G. Satter, Associated Press – Thu Aug 4, 6:40 pm ET

LONDON – Former Beatle Paul McCartney said Thursday he would contact police over his ex-wife's claim that the couple had been spied upon by a British newspaper.

In comments to U.S. television journalists delivered via videolink from Cincinnati, Ohio, McCartney said that he would be in touch with law enforcement as soon as he was finished with his summer tour.

"I will be talking to them about that," McCartney told the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles.

"I don't think it's great. I do think it is a horrendous violation of privacy, and I do think it's been going on a long time, and I do think more people than we know knew about it. But I think I should just listen and hear what the facts are before I comment," he said.

McCartney is the latest celebrity to be dragged into Britain's phone hacking scandal, which centers on allegations that journalists routinely eavesdropped on private phone messages, bribed police officers for tips and illegally obtained confidential information for stories.

Until recently the scandal was largely been limited to the British arm of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, but an allegation made Wednesday by McCartney's former wife Heather Mills implicates the Trinity Mirror PLC group of newspapers, and CNN celebrity interviewer Piers Morgan, who once edited the group's flagship Daily Mirror tabloid.

Mills' allegation, made Wednesday in an interview with the BBC, was that a senior Mirror journalist admitted to her that his paper had been spying on her messages. While the broadcaster said that the unidentified man was not Piers Morgan, the former model's allegation echoes a claim Morgan himself made back in 2006 — a few months after the couple began divorce proceedings.

In an article published by the Daily Mail, Morgan said that he had been played a tape of a message McCartney had left on Mills' cell phone in the wake of one of their fights.

"It was heartbreaking," Morgan wrote. "He sounded lonely, miserable and desperate, and even sang 'We Can Work It Out' into the answerphone."

Questions over how Piers Morgan came to hear such a message have led several British lawmakers to call on him to return to the U.K. and explain himself.

Morgan has so far not offered comment on his article, although he did describe Mills' allegation as unsubstantiated and noted that the judge in the couple's divorce case had cast aspersions on her credibility.

He has repeatedly denied having ever ordered anyone to spy on others' voicemails, while his former newspaper group has insisted that it's journalists obey the law.

Mills' office on Thursday declined to elaborate on what she told the BBC, but said that the 43-year-old "looks forward to receiving Piers Morgan's answer as to how he knew the content of her private voicemail messages."

Several British parliamentarians have also said that Morgan has questions to answer — among them Conservative legislator Therese Coffey.

"I think it would help everybody, including himself and this investigation, if he was able to say more about why he wrote what he did in 2006," Coffey told the BBC Wednesday.

Morgan's publicist, Meghan McPartland, said that as far as she knew the CNN star — who is spending his summer working as a judge on "America's Got Talent" — was not returning to England to answer questions.

Morgan himself made light of the calls on his Twitter feed, saying he found it "so heartwarming that everyone in U.K.'s missing me so much they want me to come home."

In a separate development, the publisher of Britain's Daily Mail newspaper announced late Thursday that it was reviewing its editorial procedures. No reason for the review was given, but Morgan is one of many media veterans who've claimed that phone hacking and other shady practices were common across Britain's newspaper industry.

A similar review is already under way at the Mirror.

Associated Newspapers Ltd., which publishes the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, and London's free Metro newspaper, said in a terse statement that Liz Hartley, the company's head of editorial legal services, would be among those working on the review.

Few other details were revealed, and Hartley did not return emails seeking further information.

___

Frazier Moore and Noaki Schwartz in Los Angeles and David Stringer and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

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DC report: Charlie Sheen police escort 'routine' (AP)

WASHINGTON – District of Columbia officers who gave actor Charlie Sheen an escort with flashing lights and sirens did not violate department policies, the city's inspector general said in a report this week. The report calls such escorts routine and accepted practice.

The 82-page report appears to conflict with statements from Police Chief Cathy Lanier, who has said the 27-mile escort from Dulles International Airport to a performance in Washington on April 19 broke with police protocol.

The ride attracted attention after the fired "Two and a Half Men" actor wrote about it on his Twitter account. It led to dueling accounts from the chief and department members about whether escorts for celebrities and non-dignitaries were standard practice.

Besides the inspector general review, the police department has been conducting an internal affairs investigation into celebrity escorts and the D.C. Council heard testimony last month from Lanier and the special operations division commander, among others.

The city's Office of Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby concluded that the "approval and performance of the Sheen escort was not extraordinary" and that such security details have been done without fanfare for years. But it faults the overall process for carrying out the details, saying the casual manner in which they're done and documented opens the department to liability if something goes wrong.

The report makes 11 recommendations for escorts of non-dignitaries. It includes ensuring that Washington's police department collaborates with neighboring law-enforcement agencies — which was not done in Sheen's case — and creating a clear, department-wide directive for escorts and reimbursable details.

The Sheen escort was provided after one of his representatives, concerned the actor would be running late for his performance, contacted the police and requested a ride to the concert hall. Two off-duty officers met Sheen at the airport and drove him to the venue. The escort was reimbursed at a cost of roughly $445, representing eight total hours of overtime, police said.

The report's authors said they could not independently verify that the officers who escorted Sheen were speeding, even though the actor posted a picture on his Twitter account that appeared to show a speedometer registering about 80 mph with the message, "(I)n car with Police escort in front and rear! Driving like someone's about to deliver a baby! Cop car lights (hash)Spinning!"

Lanier has said police policy would not generally permit celebrities to be escorted at a high speed with flashing lights and sirens.

She told The Associated Press in an email Wednesday that the department's policy has remained consistent in barring celebrity escorts without the prior approval of an assistant chief. She said she agreed that a single, detailed order was needed "in light of everyone's claim of confusion when they got caught."

"Just because these folks got caught and claimed they didn't know about the General Order does not excuse the fact that they violated the policy," Lanier wrote.

She also took issue with the report's findings that celebrity escorts, if properly organized, can play a part in generating positive attention and revenue for the city.

"Using police cars to escort celebrities, even if we are compensated, is inappropriate and brings unnecessary liability to the city," Lanier said.

The commander of the Special Operations Division, which provided the escort, said he felt that he and his officers had been vindicated by the report. Hilton Burton testified last month that escorts were commonly provided. The lieutenant who approved the Sheen escort and a captain were transferred out of the special operations division last month, though the chief has said the moves were not connected to the escort.

After the Sheen escort was first reported, Lanier said escorts were generally reserved for the president, vice president and visiting heads of state and the mayor, with exceptions made on a case-by-case basis.

But some police officials subsequently criticized Lanier for refusing to acknowledge that escorts were commonly made available upon request for celebrities and other non-dignitaries. The Associated Press reported in May that escorts had been given in the last two years alone to public figures including Bill Gates, rapper Jay-Z, singer Taylor Swift and John Wall of the Washington Wizards.

Lanier said last month her department has identified 17 celebrities, including Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, who have been escorted by police in the last decade. But records show dozens of other escorts — including to college and professional sports teams and their owners, visiting dignitaries, Santa Claus impersonators and the Cherry Blossom Princess — have been granted during the same time.

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Hugh Grant says police want talk to him on hacking (AP)

LONDON – Actor Hugh Grant says police have asked him to testify at an inquiry into allegations that a tabloid newspaper hacked into the phones of newsmakers, including celebrities and a murder victim.

The actor has often claimed he believes his phone was hacked by News of the World. He told Sky News on Wednesday that he was happy to work with police but also backed calls for an independent inquiry.

Grant wrote an article in The New Statesman earlier this year revealing that he secretly taped a conversation with former News of the World journalist Paul McMullan, who admitted that the tabloid employed people to hack into mobile phones.

The scandal has accelerated this week, raising calls for executives at News Corp., which owns the paper, to resign.

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NY police to investigate Tupac robbery confession (Reuters)

By Bernd Debusmann Jr. Bernd Debusmann Jr. – Thu Jun 16, 12:54 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York police are investigating an online posting from a man who claims to have shot the late rapper Tupac Shakur during a robbery attempt in 1994, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

Convicted murderer Dexter Isaac claims to have been paid $2,500 by music manager James Rosemond to rob Shakur outside a Manhattan recording studio in November 1994, in which Shakur was shot five times.

Shakur survived the shooting but was later murdered in an unsolved 1996 shooting in Las Vegas.

Isaac is currently serving a life sentence in Brooklyn, New York, after having been convicted for charges including murder, fraud and robbery.

"Detectives plan to talk to him and hear what he has to say," police spokesman Paul Browne said Thursday.

Rosemond, a well-known manager of several high-profile artists, is currently a fugitive from federal authorities who allege he was involved in a large-scale cocaine trafficking enterprise.

Rosemond's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, told Reuters Isaac was making up the story to help police build a case against Rosemond.

"This is not him being a good soldier or clearing his conscience. It's a desperate 17-year-old attempt to reduce his sentence," he said.

As proof, Isaac said he is still in possession of a chain necklace that he took from Shakur during the robbery.

He also claims in the posting to have information about the murders of Shakur in 1996 and another rapper, Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace in 1997, but did not elaborate.

The claim from Isaac was first posted on music website AllHipHop.com.

In the confession, Isaac said he is speaking out because Rosemond had accused him of being a government informant.

"Now I would like to clear up a few things, because the statute of limitations is over, and no one can be charged, and I'm just plain tired of listening to your lies."

(Reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr., editing by Christine Kearney)

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Police arrest 2 men near home of singer Joss Stone (AP)

LONDON – Two men have been arrested near the rural home of singer Joss Stone on suspicion of conspiracy to rob and murder, police said Wednesday.

Devon and Cornwall Police say the men, aged 30 and 33, and from the Manchester area of northwest England, were arrested Monday morning near Stone's house in Cullompton, southwest England after residents reported a suspicious-looking vehicle.

Detective Inspector Steve Parker said the men "had in their possession information relating to an individual in the Cullompton area and items which lead us to suspect that they may have intended to commit a criminal offense."

The force would not confirm a report in The Sun newspaper that the men had swords, rope and a body bag, as well as maps and aerial photos of Stone's secluded property.

Parker said it was "important to stress that no properties have been burgled and no individuals have been harmed."

Police officers stood guard Wednesday outside the gates to the house, which is on a quiet country road.

Stone's London publicists, DWL, said the singer was aware of the arrests and was being kept up to date by the police.

They would not say whether 24-year-old Stone was at home when the men were arrested.

The men were being questioned Wednesday at a police station and have not been charged.

Stone came to fame in 2003 as a small-town teenager with a big, soulful voice, showcased on her best-selling debut album "The Soul Sessions."

She has also taken acting roles, including that of Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, in TV drama "The Tudors."

With a fortune estimated last month by the Sunday Times Rich List at 9 million pounds ($14.6 million), she still lives in the southwestern county of Devon where she was raised.

She is a friend of Prince William and was a guest at his wedding to Kate Middleton in April.

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UK police detain two near home of singer Joss Stone (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – Police in southwest England have arrested and detained two men on suspicion of conspiracy to rob and murder near the home of chart-topping soul singer Joss Stone, they said in a statement on Wednesday.

Devon and Cornwall Police were alerted by suspicious locals and arrested the pair in the town of Cullompton, in the county of Devon, on Monday morning.

The men, aged 30 and 33, were initially held for possessing an offensive weapon and being equipped for burglary and theft.

"As a result of enquiries the two men are now being detained for the further offences of conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to murder," the police statement said.

"Major crime detectives are continuing to investigate."

The Sun newspaper reported that the men were involved in a suspected plot to kidnap Stone, 24, who has sold around 11 million albums and has a personal fortune estimated at nine million pounds.

Police did not name Stone in the statement.

But Detective Inspector Steve Parker, who is leading the investigation, said: "The two men in custody had in their possession information relating to an individual in the Cullompton area and items which lead us to suspect that they may have intended to commit a criminal offence.

"Police enquiries continue and the men remain in custody. We're unable to say anymore at this time but I would like to thank the local residents for reporting the suspicious car.

"Our officers are currently carrying out reassurance patrols and it's important to stress that no properties have been burgled and no individuals have been harmed."

A spokesman for the singer said she was aware of the arrests and was being kept informed of developments. It was not immediately clear whether she was at her home in the Cullompton area on Monday.

Stone, who attended the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in April, is due to go on tour next month.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; editing by Keith Weir)

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Italian police revoke Snooki's license (AP)

ROME – Italian police say they have revoked the international driver's license of Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi after the "Jersey Shore" star was in a fender-bender with a police car.

Florence road safety coordinator Mario Rondinelli told The Associated Press on Wednesday that two policemen were slightly injured but not hospitalized after the minor traffic accident Monday.

The police car was escorting the Jersey Shore vehicle. Rondinelli says no alcohol was involved.

He says Snooki's international license was revoked because there were injured parties involved. By law, she must wait a minium of 15 days to get it back.

The popular MTV reality show is filming its fourth season in Florence.

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China police allege Ai Weiwei firm evaded tax (AFP)

BEIJING (AFP) – Police in Beijing on Friday alleged a firm controlled by Ai Weiwei had evaded "a huge amount" of tax, state media said, as authorities appeared to ramp up their case against the detained artist.

Police authorities in the capital, citing an initial probe, also alleged the company -- Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd -- had "intentionally destroyed accounting documents", the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Ai, one of China's most prominent artists and a vocal critic of the ruling Communist Party, was detained by police on April 3 amid the government's biggest crackdown on dissidents and activists in years.

The 54-year-old's detention has been loudly condemned internationally, with the United States and European Union calling for his release.

Up until now, the Chinese government had only said that Ai was under investigation for economic crimes, but police have so far failed to issue a formal arrest warrant.

Police authorities told Xinhua that Ai was currently being kept under "residential surveillance" and that his "right to meet with people who live with him was ensured in accordance with the law."

Ai was able to meet his wife Lu Qing last Sunday and appeared to be in good health, his sister told AFP earlier this week, in what is believed to be his first known face-to-face contact with his family since his detention.

Liu Xiaoyuan, a rights lawyer and close friend of Ai, told AFP on Friday he could not comment on the police allegations.

But he said the fact that Ai was being kept under "residential surveillance" away from his home did "not meet legal requirements."

Human rights groups have criticised "residential surveillance" -- in which authorities detain people for extended periods without charge -- as a violation of Chinese law.

Lu, meanwhile, was not immediately available for comment.

Chinese authorities, apparently spooked by the wave of pro-democracy uprisings sweeping the Middle East, have detained dozens of lawyers, artists and other perceived critics in recent weeks.

Many of the detainees have reportedly been beaten while in custody.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week denounced China's clampdown on dissent as a "fool's errand," saying Beijing was trying to stop the course of history.

The remarks, made in an interview with The Atlantic magazine, were some of the strongest by a senior US official on China's crackdown.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman later denounced the comment as "inappropriate".

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DC police gave escorts to celebs other than Sheen (AP)

WASHINGTON – District of Columbia police records released Wednesday show Bill Gates and rapper Jay-Z are among the celebrities who have received police escorts similar to the one officers provided last month to actor Charlie Sheen, revealing more widespread use of a practice mostly intended for top government officials and foreign dignitaries.

Records obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request show dozens of escorts have been provided in the last year and a half, including to entertainers, celebrities, college and pro athletes, and sometimes to the teams' owners. The department is routinely reimbursed for the escorts, in amounts ranging from several hundred dollars to, in one case, nearly $80,000, the invoices show.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said last month that escorts were generally reserved for the president, vice president and visiting heads of state and the mayor, with exceptions made on a case-by-case basis.

Lanier told The Associated Press on Wednesday that police protocol also allows escorts when there are concerns about public safety or crowd control. She said the celebrity escorts were "all being looked at based on what happened in the Charlie Sheen case," but wouldn't categorically say they were improper and said there's any number of reasons why celebrities or non-dignitaries might be entitled to an escort.

"There are legitimate reasons for many of these escorts," Lanier told the AP, adding, "There may be. I just don't know."

Officers with the special operations division on April 19 provided Sheen an escort, with sirens and lights flashing, from Dulles International Airport — approximately 30 miles from downtown Washington — to a performance at DAR Constitution Hall in the city. The escort attracted attention after Sheen wrote about it excitedly on Twitter, even posting a photograph of a speedometer registering about 80 mph: "In car with Police escort in front and rear! Driving like someone's about to deliver a baby! Cop car lights (hash)Spinning!"

Sheen's concert promoter reimbursed the district $445.68, records show.

Lanier said in an April 22 statement that the Sheen escort appeared to violate department protocol. She also said such escorts weren't intended for celebrities. She said city police escorts weren't supposed to turn on flashing lights and sirens in non-emergency situations and were generally not permitted to travel in other jurisdictions without the assistance of law enforcement agencies in those localities.

Yet records show that several of the celebrity escorts either originated or ended at Dulles or Ronald Reagan National Airport, both in northern Virginia.

An investigation is continuing into whether any of the escorts were inappropriate and how they came to be approved.

"If there isn't a legitimate reason for it, then who made the decision to authorize it and did they follow the proper protocol for authorizing it?" she said.

The escort of Gates — the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire businessman and philanthropist — was provided on Nov. 8, 2010 from the city's convention center to Dulles, according to an invoice for $445.68. He was in Washington that day speaking at a health forum. Gates fully reimbursed the district, said Steve Krystek, director of PFC Safeguards, which coordinates logistics for Gates' travel. He declined to comment on any other aspect of the escort.

D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson, whose committee has oversight of the police department, said he was considering asking for a hearing to hash out the conflicting reports.

"How many conflicting explanations have we gotten from officials regarding what is the truth?" Mendelson asked. "The most damning thing is the stories have been inconsistent."

The escorts were provided at a rate of $55.71 per hour. Many of the escorts cost less than $500, but some were substantially more expensive: Escorts provided for a 2010 meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, totaled more than $79,800. That money has been repaid. Escorts protecting the ballot boxes used in last September's primary election cost more than $23,000.

Dignitaries including the UN Secretary-General and the World Bank president have received escorts, as has a former first lady. Police escorts for military funerals are also common, documents show.

The escort of rapper Jay-Z on March 3, 2010 originated at Dulles and spanned from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. It cost $1,114.20, which has been reimbursed. The invoice doesn't specify where Jay-Z went. A publicist for him had no immediate information on his visit.

Singer Taylor Swift's name also appears on a log of people who have received escorts — on June 1, 2010, the night she performed at Verizon Center in downtown D.C. — though no invoice for her escort was immediately available.

College and professional sports teams as well as owners have also gotten escorts, including to the White House, foreign embassies and to and from stadiums on game day. Owners have also benefited — the Indianapolis Colts owner was escorted Oct. 16 from the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington to FedEx Field in Landover, Md, an invoice says.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says it's up to teams to decide whether to travel with police escorts in cities they visit.

The documents show John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's NBA draft, was escorted from Dulles on June 25, the day after he was drafted by the Washington Wizards. He arrived at the Verizon Center in a SUV-style limo, where he stepped onto a red carpet.

Police union chairman Kris Baumann said it's widely known within the department that such escorts are provided.

"As officers, we know this goes on a routine basis," Baumann said. "Just acknowledge it."

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Associated Press writers Joseph White and Barry Wilner in New York contributed to this report.

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ACLU: Puerto Rico has pattern of police brutality (AP)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A celebrity-enhanced ACLU delegation criticized Puerto Rico's government Tuesday for using police to keep the island's main university system open during a strike over a new fee, with members saying they found clear evidence in which officers abused students during the protests.

The delegation, which included Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez and former major league baseball player Carlos Delgado, said the initial findings of a fact-finding mission found a pattern of excessive police force over the past 18 months involving students, union leaders and journalists.

Their final report, which will be presented to the U.S. Justice Department, is expected by September.

Perez said at a news conference that she was overwhelmed by the testimony of students who said they were brutalized or sexually harassed and groped by police during a series of violent clashes over the $800 fee and budget cuts.

"I was really appalled as to how many of the adults treated many of the young people whether the young people were right or wrong," Perez said. "Yes, there were some bad apples, there were many bad apples in the bunch, but even they have certain rights."

Puerto Rico last year appointed an independent monitor for its police department and announced additional training in April for all officers in response to repeated allegations of brutality and misconduct.

Puerto Rico's Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock, who met with the ACLU delegation along with other island officials, faulted the delegates for announcing their preliminary findings so quickly, saying it suggested they had reached their conclusions before they had started. He said he urged them to expand their focus to include the rights of students and teachers who wanted to go to classes despite the months of protests at island campuses.

"The rights of those thousands of students should be equally entitled to ACLU interest and protection as the rights of the hundreds who participated in the demonstrations," he said.

ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said in response that the group agrees that students have a right to attend classes but that local authorities went too far in using police to keep the university open.

"The university cannot be kept open at any cost," he said.

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