Donald Schwartzmiller, chief of the Kent State Police Department, who later recalled that “prior to the attempt to disperse this group, the gathering was peaceful; there were some jesterings and catcalls, but I was familiar with this harmless behavior from previous occasions. To my knowledge, peaceful gatherings had not been banned on campus. No Ohio National Guard official consulted with me concerning the breakup of this gathering. I saw no reason to disperse the gathering.”
