I don't know that the police really fucked up, other than the statement made about rather seeing her in a cell than a morgue, which honestly is a fair emotion. I doubt, since she cooperated fully (other than when she was initially asked what it was and WALKED AWAY WITHOUT ANSWERING DURRRR), that she was ever in any serious danger. However, the media of course latched on to that because it's a freaking amazing quote for them to make a big deal out of.

And seriously - I think the students have turned around and made it an even bigger media shitstorm. Let's jump all over MIT. MIT was in a damned if you do, damned if you don't position. They made what I consider to be a rather innocuous statement and they get ripped a new one. Seriously, there should not be a protest about this. Protest about the hackers getting fucked with, but not about some girl who didn't think about what she was doing and that MIT had no part in other than by letting her take some classes on their campus.