A message from President Michael V. Drake on the UC Community Safety Plan
"Though we may have had different perspectives, we all agree on one thing: We must put the UC community at the heart of our safety and security practices. People must be safe and feel safe."
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Letter to the UC community from President Michael V. Drake
INTRODUCTION
Across the nation, communities are grappling with the hard truth that systems of policing and law enforcement have not safeguarded people equally. Too often, the same systems charged with providing protection have become a source of great distrust and fear. This plan to re-envision safety at the University of California starts by acknowledging that reality.
Students, faculty, staff, patients and visitors must be secure on our campuses and confident that the University is a supportive environment that is responsive to their needs. The Community Safety Plan creates a structure for achieving that goal. It calls for transforming UC’s culture, policies and practices to ensure that all members of the community feel welcomed, respected and protected from harm.
Successful implementation of this plan is a top priority for the University — one that reflects UC’s values and its commitment to equity and social justice. The plan emerged from robust discussions that began months ago, with Chancellors forming campus-based safety task forces to engage their communities in re-envisioning campus safety and policing. Two separate systemwide Presidential Symposia in early 2021 provided further dialogue about the best path forward. These efforts, in addition to input from stakeholders across the UC system and external experts, informed the plan’s key guidelines:
Community and Service-Driven Safety
Campus safety policies and practices must reflect the needs and values of our diverse community and be in service to them. This fundamental idea is reflected throughout the plan.
A Holistic, Inclusive and Tiered Response Model for Safety Services
Safety will be defined in its broadest terms, and include mental health, wellness, basic needs and bias/hate response as well as other services. Multidisciplinary teams will triage behavioral health crises, conduct wellness checks and safely connect individuals to coordinated care, including health and social support resources.
Transparency and Continuous Improvement Through Data
Campuses will collect and publicly share uniform campus safety data on a UC-wide dashboard to empower the UC community and inform change.
Accountability and Independent Oversight
Independent police accountability boards, comprised of a broad cross-section of the UC community, will provide a robust complaint and investigation process to ensure that officers are acting consistently with rules, policies and the law.
Additional specifics of the plan are outlined below. In Part I, the guidelines that form the foundation of the plan are described. The guidelines are the basis for the key actions, described in Part II. A new role at the UC Office of the President will track systemwide implementation and report to the president on UC’s progress.
It’s important to acknowledge this plan marks the beginning of our collective efforts to achieve a new vision of campus safety. Given the complexities involved, this plan should be viewed as a living document that will be refined based on community feedback and empirical data. It is not the end point for achieving a new vision of campus safety. This starts the next phase of our collective efforts, and everyone has a role to play.
PART I: GUIDELINES
The guidelines in Part I provide a high-level summary of the principles that inform the UC Community Safety Plan. These guidelines also give general direction on the approach that UC will take to achieve the actions outlined in the implementation framework of Part II.
Guideline 1: Community and Service-Driven Safety
All members of the UC community should feel valued, welcomed and free from any threat of physical, psychological or emotional harm. Our campus safety system must reflect the needs and values of a diverse campus community including those vulnerable to harm. Specific strategies and tactics in the campus plans will be shaped by a process that includes broad representation of the campus population and is sensitive to the needs of historically marginalized communities.
The campus safety system will provide high-quality service in a courteous and accessible manner that allows our community to feel safe and respected in every interaction. Interactions will be held to a high standard of respect and fairness and will be monitored. Hiring procedures and guidelines for campus safety personnel will involve participation of a broad representation of campus community groups including students, faculty and staff. This begins a continuous process of evaluation and improvement. Campuses will continually engage their communities and strengthen campus safety practices.
Guideline 2: Holistic, Inclusive and Tiered Response Services
To ensure the safety of the UC community, a tiered response model will match a call for service with the appropriate type of response and responder(s). This holistic approach will include mental health, wellness, basic needs, bias/hate response, law enforcement, emergency response and other services through interdepartmental partnerships and cross-trainings. Multidisciplinary crisis teams will be available 24/7 and triage behavioral health crises, conduct wellness checks, and safely connect individuals to coordinated care, including health and social support resources. Non-sworn security personnel will more visibly render services such as residence hall foot patrols, providing safe shuttles/walks for students, staffing events requiring additional security, and diffusing unsafe behavior.
The University will prioritize deterrence and violent crime prevention over the enforcement of non-violent minor offenses, such as non-hazardous traffic violations. The University will reinforce existing guidelines that minimize police presence at protests, follow de-escalation methods in the event of violence and seek non-urgent mutual aid first from UC campuses before calling outside law enforcement agencies.
Guideline 3: Transparency and Continuous Improvement through Data
A systemwide dashboard with campus-level detail will be created and regularly updated to inform and empower the UC community. Based on new systemwide reporting requirements and uniform standards for data collection, this information will be used to assess campus safety practices, generate recommendations for best practices and hold the institution accountable.
Guideline 4: Accountability and Independent Oversight
Campus complaint processes are essential mechanisms for the community to report misconduct and ensure that officers are acting consistently with rules, policies and the law. A standardized and robust complaint and investigation process will be implemented through police accountability boards.
The Office of President will designate a full-time position in service to the campuses to coordinate campus safety, ensure continuous improvement through best practices and monitor the implementation of the UC Community Safety Plan.
Two UC campuses are currently accredited by IACLEA, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. IACLEA is grounded in President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and continually evaluates and implements best practices for campus safety as part of its accreditation standards. The remaining eight UC campuses will seek this accreditation. Review and accreditation by independent third-party experts will ensure operational readiness, align policies and procedures with modern professional standards and best practices, promote a strong emphasis on the safety of the public and officers, offer additional community input opportunities, and provide an independent and ongoing audit and review function.
PART II: IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK [Dates shown are targets for completion]
1. Community-Centered Safety
1.1 Current and future campus-based task forces or working groups focused on campus safety will include broad representation of the full UC community, including historically marginalized communities. 9/30/21
1.2 A community-led process will be established that involves faculty, students and staff to define and advise on the specific strategies and approach in the tiered response model (see Guideline 2). 9/30/21
1.3 The history of policing, and the variety of views including maintaining, defunding or abolishing police departments, and making space for those ideas and solutions, will be shared and considered by campus leadership. 9/30/21
1.4 All personnel in the whole systems framework referred to in Guideline 2 will be trained on inclusive and respectful service for their interactions with the campus community. 6/30/22
1.5 Except in urgent or emerging crises where it poses a safety risk, all campus safety service providers will proactively provide their name, contact information, reason for stop or call response, and prior to the conclusion of their contact, will confirm how feedback can be sent. 12/31/21
1.6 The campus community will be surveyed periodically on their experiences with campus safety personnel and services. The data will be utilized to inform future training and other actions, and shall be shared with the campus community publicly. 3/31/22
1.7 Campuses will adopt real-time feedback platforms to allow for community members to comment on interactions with safety personnel; feedback will drive continuous improvement. 6/30/22
1.8 Each campus will develop and implement procedures and guidelines for the UC community, including students, faculty and staff, to serve in an advisory capacity in the interview process of UC police department and other campus safety personnel. 12/31/21
1.9 Evaluation criteria for candidates in hiring and promotional decisions for campus safety roles will include behaviors consistent with the University’s principles of community and their commitment to integrity, excellence, accountability and respect. 9/30/21
1.10 Continuing the standard background check conducted, the University will not hire officers or any campus safety personnel with any sustained findings of misconduct related to moral turpitude, sexual harassment, bias, discrimination, or any other finding determined to be inconsistent with the University’s principles and values, or who resigned while under investigation. 9/30/21
1.11 Sworn and unsworn safety personnel must receive high-quality and regular training in verbal de-escalation and non-violent crisis intervention; lawful use of force; cultural competency and diversity; anti-racism, eliminating homophobia and transphobia; the potential for biased policing and responses to certain offenses such as domestic violence, sexual violence and hate crimes. Safety personnel will also be trained on employee personal wellness. Training on diversity, anti-bias and sex crimes should be conducted in consultation with campus Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) offices and Title IX offices, respectively. 6/30/22
1.12 The UC Office of the President, drawing on the expertise of faculty, will develop a systemwide program for campus safety personnel to orient them to the UC community and culture. 9/30/22
1.13 Campus safety personnel will continue to participate in campus special events, meet with faculty, students and staff groups, share crime prevention and self-defense expertise, and more, to build open lines of communication, engagement and understanding. 9/30/21
1.14 The UC Office of the President will form a systemwide workgroup that includes students, faculty and staff to recommend uniform, armament and vehicle standards for every tier in the safety model including for police officers, public safety officers and student community officers. 9/30/21
2. Holistic, Inclusive and Tiered Response Services
2.1 In consultation with the community (see 1.2 above), campuses will develop implementation plans to create and sustain a holistic tiered response service portfolio that achieves the goals of Guideline 2. These plans must contain the following elements:
Define roles and responsibilities for all functions in the holistic, inclusive, tiered response service portfolio, including but not limited to sworn police officers, dispatchers, crisis response team members, non-sworn public safety officers or ambassadors, mental health and social service providers, CARE advocates, and other related positions.
Provide a staffing and budget plan describing how the campus will reconfigure and/or reallocate existing resources to fund and sustain the tiered response model. The reconfiguration plan should include, but is not limited to, repurposing of sworn officer positions or FTE to other safety, wellness or social service roles, and re-distribution of campus operating budgets. As necessary, campuses will consult with county offices to coordinate training, response and continuity of care for mental health services, including 24/7 response teams.
Describe how the campus will organize and govern the tiered response model within a whole-systems infrastructure across functional units such as Student Affairs, UCPD, Student Health Centers, Title IX offices and CARE advocates, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices, and other campus support services providers. 3/31/22
2.2 Each campus will pause hiring of campus safety personnel until the plan described in 2.1 has been submitted. Exceptions to the pause, based on meeting basic safety needs, must be approved by the Chancellor. 10/31/21
2.3 Campuses will follow established University and campus guidance on protest response, role of police, observers or monitors, and use of mutual aid and communicate those standards to the community so that they have shared expectations. 9/30/21
2.4 In consultation with Campus Counsel, Student Affairs, and County District Attorneys, campuses will develop ways to use community-based solutions, such as restorative justice programs or neighborhood courts for the adjudication of nonviolent and low-level crimes committed, as an alternative to the traditional criminal justice system. 9/30/21
3. Transparency and Continuous Improvement through Data
3.1 Campuses will post these categories of safety data annually: 12/31/21
Crimes Data (Part I and Part II)
Use of Force
Campus Safety Workforce Summary, including demographics
Campus Safety Fiscal Year Budget
Stops (Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015 (RIPA) compliant as required by California Law)[1]
Complaint data and resolution (consistent with California Department of Justice requirement)[2]
Calls for service
[1] The Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) was created as part of AB 953 (Weber, 2016) and establishes requirements for stops data reporting. See: https://oag.ca.gov/ab953
[2] The California Department of Justice collects Civilians’ Complaints Against Peace Officers (CCAPO) data through statutory authority of PC Section 13012(a)(5). See: https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/data-stories/civilians-complaints
3.2a A working group that includes students, faculty and staff will be established to develop an implementation plan for a publicly available systemwide dashboard in three phases, based on quality, availability and consistency of data by category across all 10 UC campuses. Membership will be from appropriate offices with technical expertise at the UC Office of the President as well as campus offices, as needed, and will develop a proposed plan and budget to fund central collection, storage, security, and access protocols and reporting of data long-term. The below milestones will guide implementation in a phased approach. 9/30/21
3.2b Post on the UC Office of the President website: crime statistics, use of force data, UC Police Department (UCPD) workforce data
Deliver preliminary set of data submission specifications and dates
Develop systemwide dashboard work plan and budget 12/31/21
3.2c Design and implement a data collection process and storage system for all data identified above and determine a data governance plan, consistent with UCOP practice
Launch of systemwide dashboard
Include campus safety data in the systemwide UC Accountability Report
Consider the inclusion of or link to survey data from Action 1.6 6/30/22
3.2d Add interactivity to the systemwide dashboard 6/30/23
4. Accountability and Independent Oversight
4.1a Each campus, modeling the UC Davis Police Accountability Board’s procedures and policies as minimum standards, will establish an independent, civilian campus police accountability body and procedures to review investigation reports regarding complaints filed against UCPD. The accountability body will include students, faculty and staff. To avoid conflict of interest and ensure the independence of the accountability body, no member or alternate can be a current or former campus police department employee, or a current employee of campus counsel or the investigation unit. This body will provide recommendations to the Chancellor and Chief of Police to ensure that complaints regarding UCPD policies and the conduct of UCPD personnel are resolved in a fair, thorough, reasonable and expeditious manner. These bodies will solicit public input and conduct community outreach. 6/30/22
4.1b Members of the campus accountability body will be trained on how to comply with procedural, statutory and confidentiality requirements and must be able to commit to consistent service within any given appointment period and to serve impartially. 6/30/22
4.2a Campuses will determine a complaint processing and investigation unit that is independent of the campus police department and that is trained in the legal, statutory, policy and confidentially requirements of these investigations. Investigators shall have access to records and information deemed relevant to the investigation of the complaint. The investigator will deliver confidential investigation reports that protect the identities of individuals involved to the police accountability body for independent review. The investigation and investigation report should be completed within ninety (90) days of being assigned to an investigator, unless for cause and authorized.
Campuses will determine the appropriate offices to coordinate and staff the accountability body. The police accountability body will be staffed by UC employees who are organizationally independent of the police department. The campus police department will not lead the investigation of complaints brought before the accountability body or staff the accountability body. 6/30/22
4.2b For campuses that do not have an independent office with the expertise to review complaints filed against police officers, the campus will develop a process to provide independent investigative services and reports for campus accountability bodies. The investigation and investigation report should be completed within ninety (90) days of being assigned to an investigator, unless for cause and authorized. 6/30/22
4.3 Ethics, Compliance and Audit Services (ECAS) will convene all trained police complaint investigators no less than annually for training and best practice sharing to ensure systemwide consistency and quality in investigatory services. 3/31/22
4.4 Each campus police department not currently accredited must begin candidacy for International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) accreditation. 12/31/21
4.5 As accreditation is a process that consists of multiple steps and actions, campuses should begin on-site assessment by accreditors within 36 months of starting their self-assessment and policy alignment with accreditation standards. 12/31/23
4.6 The UC Office of the President will designate a full-time position to monitor and support systemwide implementation of the UC Community Safety Plan, coordinate systems, policies and reporting; promote ongoing community engagement and consistency in campus safety; and review the complaint process for fairness, thoroughness, quality and speed. This position will also provide centralized assistance to support campuses in pursuit of IACLEA accreditation. This position will convene the primary service providers on each campus in the holistic tiered response model at least every two years in order to share best practices across the system, serve as a resource and guide continuous improvement. 12/31/21
Everyone has a part to play in the successful implementation of the plan and your involvement is welcome. Stay informed on the plan implementation, and find opportunities for involvement, by continuing to visit this site.
Source: https://www.ucop.edu/community-safety-plan/index.html#accountability-independent-oversight.
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