More than a month after Penn State fans rushed the field to celebrate the Nittany Lions' win over Ohio State, Penn State University Police are still working to punish those who set foot on the field. And now the police are using Facebook.com to locate some of these students.

Using Facebook is of course perfectly legal and understandable. Police officers around the country should use any and all resources at their disposal if it helps them to solve a crime. But in this case, the use of an online social network for college students after the original offense is completely unnecessary. While Internet sites are public domain and are fair game for police and other investigators, Facebook is a highly unreliable source.

The repercussions of these investigative tactics don't stop at fines and misdemeanor charges. These measures could very well chill students' speech.

After the police are finished with this investigation, what will they do next? Will they then look to other Facebook groups such as "Pot Smokers of Penn State United" to find people who smoke marijuana, or "Alcoholics Not-So-Anonymous" to find people who drink underage? Will police now use pictures they find on the Internet, which may be doctored, as evidence supporting a conviction of such crimes?

And since the police first began using the site as a means of questioning people, many students have joined groups that make it unclear whether or not they rushed the field. Groups such as, "I May or May Not Have Rushed the Field at the Ohio State Game" or "I Might Have Rushed the Field after the Ohio State Game ... Who Knows?" already have hundreds of members. Are the police really going to spend time calling the 161 members of the group "I May or May Not Have Rushed the Field at the Ohio State Game?" What happens when they find students who were pushed onto the field during the rush and joined the Facebook group? Should they be punished as well?

Students did not cause great damage to the field. In fact, the students were probably harmed more than the field after officers sprayed those who jumped or fell to the field. It's nice to know the university values its field more than students' safety. Parading horses onto the field at the Wisconsin game caused more damage to the Beaver Stadium grass since some were defecating on the field. What gives?

Rather than solving real crimes, the police are going out of their way to prove a point, nurse their bruised egos and make police-student relations more hostile. Problems with drugs, sexual assault and theft should be at the forefront of the work of the police -- not spending time looking on Facebook to find kids who may or may not have rushed the field at the Ohio State game.