Responding to public safety recommendations from university stakeholders

In 2021 multiple committees made formal recommendations for ways to improve campus safety at UC Davis. The Campus Safety Oversight Committee was created by former Vice Chancellor Kelly Ratliff to increase transparency and monitor progress made by the UC Davis Police Department and other UC Davis units as they adjust operations toward this collection of recommendations.

Key examples of progress

Reallocate police staffing

• In 2021, funding for three vacant positions for uniformed police officers was reconfigured to support:

  • Student Affairs: A new Public Safety Policy Analyst was hired to serve as a liaison between Student Affairs and the UC Davis Police Department.

  • Health 34: Funding transferred to the UC Davis Fire Department to support its Health 34 initiative, a new approach to responding to minor medical or mental health calls that aims to prevent crises whenever possible.

  • Police Data: A new Accreditation Analyst position in the UC Davis Police Department supports efforts related to data analysis, accreditation and transparency efforts.

• Repurpose uniformed, sworn officers to the CORE Officer program, as non-uniformed officers who focus on outreach and education in the core of the Davis campus. This program started with one officer in 2019-2020 and expanded to three officers in 2021.

Improve mental health response

• Recruitment has started for Health 34, a new team based at the Fire Department’s Station 34 who will respond to calls related to mental health, illness and injury. 

• UC Davis is discussing ways to partner with Yolo County in its new implementation of the Crisis Now model for suicide prevention and improved responses to people who are in distress.

Clarify how campus responds to calls

• NEW: A new report called "Tiered Responses to Calls for 911 or Non-Emergency Assistance" documents how UC Davis dispatchers approach matching every call for help on campus with the most appropriate responders, services and resources available. Responders for different types of calls include officers and other staff members with the UC Davis Police Department, responders from the UC Davis Fire Department, local ambulances, or other campus wellness resources for students and employees.

Improve transparency about police department

• UPDATED: A new Transparency Dashboard, launched in September 2021 on the UC Davis Police Department website, better shares data collected by and about the police department. Data are updated routinely, and new webpages continue to be created, including:

  • Interactive Data on Demographics of Who Was Stopped by Campus Police, including racial perceptions of officers involved.

  • Interactive Budget Data with details for both the Davis and Sacramento campuses.

  • Expanded Campus Crime Data that is now updated on a monthly basis.

Seek community feedback

• The Police Department Interaction Feedback form was launched in January 2022. This pilot survey invites members of the community to provide feedback immediately after their interaction with an officer or other employees of the police department.

Engage in restorative practice

• In 2021 the chancellor invited a group of about 30 UC Davis administrators and student leaders to participate in a training to collaboratively address concerns related to freedom of expression and campus safety. The three-part workshop, "Community Building through Restorative Practice," is facilitated by the Yolo Conflict Resolution Center.

• UC Davis leaders acknowledged the 10-year anniversary of the pepper spray incident. Chancellor Gary May issued a statement. A campus news article, with a video statement from Vice Chancellor Renetta Garrison Tull, outlined UC Davis reforms that were made in response to the incident.

Evaluate and update policies

• Within the UC Davis Policy and Procedure Manual, PPM 350-10 was formally updated in October 2021 to reflect that UC Davis does not participate in or receive goods from the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) Program of the Defense Logistics Agency, which allows transfer of U.S. Department of Defense property to federal and state agencies for use in law enforcement activities.

• The UC Davis Police Department formally updated its Policy Manual (section 1000.6) to reflect its commitment to “not hire police officers or other department personnel with a sustained finding related to moral turpitude, sexual harassment, bias, discrimination, or any other finding determined to be inconsistent with the University's principles and values. This will include applicants who have resigned their position while under investigation for incidents described above.”

Review the role and scope of the Police Accountability Board

• Established in 2014, the Police Accountability Board, or PAB, will review its role and scope every four years, with the next review in 2022. The Police Accountability Board and its interactions with the UC Davis Police Department serves as a model for a similar recommendation made to all UC police departments in the UC Community Safety Plan.

• NEW: PAB representatives have consulted with other UC leaders as they develop their own civilian oversight programs using UC Davis as the model. In 2021-2022, UC Davis representatives shared PAB information with colleagues from UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, UC Merced, and UC San Diego, as well as the UC Chiefs of Police and UC Chief Diversity Officers/Vice Chancellors for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

• NEW: PAB stakeholders gave presentations at two national conferences in 2022 — the National Association of Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education and the Annual Conference and National Conference on Race and Ethnicity — to discuss strategies for innovating and implementing campus safety reform through collaboration and community building. These discussions shared UC Davis innovations and approaches with leaders on college campuses who focus on promoting inclusivity and civic engagement.

Improving safety on the Sacramento campus

• In 2021, UC Davis Police provided more than 100 employee education sessions focused on violence prevention in healthcare. The department team has also partnered closely with UC Davis Health Guest Services to better support positive experiences for guests and patients.
• The UC Davis Police Department is collaborating to improve pedestrian safety corridors with improved lighting and emergency call boxes. The team is also working to leverage existing technology to further improve safety on the Sacramento campus.

 

Support police department accreditation

• In April 2021, the UC Davis Police Department secured full accreditation for a four-year term through the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). The association continually evaluates and implements best practices for campus safety as part of its accreditation standards. All other UC police departments have also been charged with seeking and securing this accreditation.

• UC Davis staff members are serving as subject-matter experts to assist other UC campuses make progress with accreditation of all UC police departments consistent with the UC Community Safety Plan.