Questions about use of excessive force by police during the July 16 riot are continuing to surface, said the Penn State American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU chapter is refocusing on July's events to find out if police were out of line in their handling of the riot.

The Penn State ACLU is encouraging people who think their rights were violated during the past summer's riot to come forward and contact them about their experience with police.

"We're trying to gather as much information as possible about the riot and we don't feel students need to remain quiet about this," said Penn State ACLU vice-president Courtney Kirschner. "We want to see how big the problem really was."

The Penn State ACLU is hoping to obtain information to find out whether the force police used was excessive.

Kirschner said that if enough information is gathered pointing toward police brutality and a trend of civil rights violations, Penn State ACLU will forward the information to the ACLU of Pennsylvania, where they have more legal resources to take action if necessary.

Samantha Chirillo, secretary for the Penn State ACLU, said the Pennsylvania ACLU became interested in the occurrence when a student who had been arrested in the riot contacted them and the Penn State ACLU.

The riot occurred during the annual Arts Festival and was what university officials called, "alcohol-fueled." State and local police, including the Pennsylvania State police, State College Police Department, and Penn State Police Services, were called in to control the crowd.

With the use of riot gear and pepper spray, police controlled the crowd and made 15 arrests.

However, many students complained about the use of pepper spray and the amount of force officers used to control the crowd, saying it was excessive.

Kirschner said that the Penn State ACLU has recently spoken to nearly a dozen people regarding police actions during the riot.

"Many of the students came to us because they don't know if it's a big deal or because they don't want to make a big deal about it," Kirschner said.

Kirschner has heard complaints ranging from officers who stormed into several buildings and hit people with riot gear, the "excessive" use of pepper-spray, and threatening to use pepper-spray unnecessarily, resulting in a few injuries.

Immediately after the riot, State College Police Chief Tom King said he was pleased with the way his officers conducted themselves in the situation, and today, Sgt. John Wilson continues to support that view.

"We feel confident in the job that was done and the amount of restraint used by the State College police, university police, and assisting agencies," Wilson said.

Wilson also said that if people believed they were a victim of excessive force or if they felt that their civil liberties were being violated, there are actions they can take.

"If there is concern over officer actions, they can come forward to police and file a complaint," Wilson said. The complaint will incite an internal investigation within the force or the forces involved in the complaint, he added.

Wilson said that no one has come forward with any accusations regarding excessive force or violations in civil rights.

However, Kirschner said there maybe a few reasons why people have chosen not to come directly to police and file a report.

"Filing a complaint to police sounds good in theory, but I don't know if that gets the job done," Kirschner said.

Kirschner said many students have trouble with the steps necessary to filing a police report, such as recalling the badge number of a particular officer.

She added that the problem might have been with the entire force, not just one or two officers.

As the second riot in three years, officials have and continue to take action to prevent riot conditions.

In mid-September, an unofficial committee of more than a dozen downtown organizations was formed to prevent disturbances similar to the one that happened in July. The committee is currently working on preventive measures using the ideas of both borough staff and students.