A letter to Chief Mitchell
Dear University Police Chief David Mitchell,
We appreciate that you are continuing to work with the concerned student body regarding policing on our campus. We commend you for opening up to the campus community during this difficult time when the corrupt nature of our justice system is beginning to manifest before the eyes of those who can no longer deny it. Still, we, the Social Justice Coalition, find that our demands are not being completely heard or understood.
We continue to demand that all military weapons received from the 1033 program be returned. You have said that these weapons are required to protect the nuclear material on the campus, but a statement written by our university in 2005 states: “Our commitment to safeguarding this facility, with its specialized equipment and valuable research, is so great that our security measures substantially exceed the standard required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a research reactor of this size.”
You also have said these weapons are needed in the event of a mass shooting on the campus. However, a study published in March by the Police Executive Research Forum contradicts the need for military weapons in response to an active shooter. The study analyzed 84 active-shooter situations since 2000 and recommended that the best equipment for active-shooter situations are handguns and low-powered rifles as well as defensive equipment such as body armor shields, but it found the best route is focusing on preventative measures such as mental health initiatives.
Body cameras are important, and we acknowledge that you have said numerous times that your officers want body cameras as well. However, we want more clarification as to what you mean by a “reasonable amount of time” in regard to how long video recorded by the cameras would be accessible.
We realize that the creation of your Police Chief’s Advisory Council is a step in the right direction, but we still have concerns. We agree that it should be made up of students, faculty and staff, but we want more than just an advisory council. We want a board that will review police complaints and have legislative power to discipline or fire officers if necessary.
A common grievance brought up during the recent town hall meetings was that students are not comfortable submitting police complaints only to have them reviewed by others in the police department. We find that this specific demand corrects this grievance and improves police transparency.
You have publicly criticized the actions of police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, but we are still waiting on an official statement from university President Wallace Loh and the administration not only condemning the actions of the officers, but also condemning the corrupt system that has allowed these injustices to continually occur and has allowed Darren Wilson and other police officers to escape charges.
We expect this will clarify our demands, and we hope to continue working harmoniously with you toward making this campus community safer for all people.
In solidarity,
The Social Justice Coalition
Jessy Jimenez is a junior economics major. He can be reached at jrjimenez1091@gmail.com.
