UCPD: Maybe 40% Cut; Maybe Not

From CalMatters: The chair of the University of California board of regents said Wednesday he’s open to considering dramatic cuts in the number of armed, sworn police officers across the university system.  The comments by Regent John Pérez came during a panel on the future of campus policing co-hosted by CalMatters and KQED, in which the UC Student Association proposed decreasing armed officers on UC campuses by 40%. “There’s room to have discussion about a significant reduction in policing on campuses,” Pérez said, adding, “I don’t think the 40% number is wildly out of the range of possibility.” ...

The chair of the UC Student Association’s racial justice campaign, outlined the organization’s proposals to freeze hiring of new officers, give independent oversight boards authority over police department budgets and create a pilot program in restorative justice, an approach that emphasizes repairing harm rather than punishment. The UC spent $138 million on policing in the 2018-2019 year. (He) said that budget should instead be spent addressing mental health and funding housing for homeless and at-risk students. 

While Pérez agreed that the association’s proposals are a framework for progress, he and UC Davis Police Chief Joseph Farrow argued during the panel that it is necessary for UCs to retain their police departments. Officers hired to work at a UC campus are better equipped to work with students, they said, compared to police officers from outside the campus coming in to answer calls. 

“I’m going to say something unpopular: One of the reasons we need police on campuses is because campuses aren’t free from violent crime, and they’re not free from other expressions of crime that are appropriately responded to by police,” Pérez said...

Full story with video at https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/college-beat-higher-education/2021/04/future-of-campus-policing/