People should not draw conclusions about police based on single, isolated incident
I have been following the media coverage of the Nov. 1, incident in the New Leonardtown Apartments and the resultant editorial and opinion pieces. I am struck by the fact that this single incident has resulted in a broad, sweeping indictment of the University of Maryland Department of Public Safety as an organization that practices racism and brutality. I feel compelled to caution against drawing conclusions about the culture of an organization based upon a single isolated incident, especially when the organization in question has built up years of good will as a result of inclusive and accommodating practices, community involvement, community collaboration, superior customer oriented service and, in the midst of double digit crime increases in the surrounding area, maintained an oasis of safety for the campus community.
I have given great thought to the negative characterization of this agency in recent weeks, and I believe that the past history of UMDPS, as it relates to minority relations, has earned the withholding of judgment until UMDPS completes the investigation into this incident and resulting allegations. Complaints such as this require a deliberate investigation to protect the rights of the accusers as well as the officers involved and a thorough investigation takes time to complete.
I would also like to take this opportunity to share some of the tangible activities engaged in by UMDPS in the effort to be a good community member and to embrace the diversity that characterizes our campus community. Some of the initiatives we have implemented include:
– A special event cost reduction strategy to help minority groups host campus functions;
– State review of all of our traffic stop data as a part of race-based traffic stops legislation;
– Review of our controlled dispersal/alcohol citations, which indicate that only 4 percent applied to minority students/groups;
– Co-sponsored Meet and Greet functions with the Black Student Union;
– Sponsored a charity basketball game with Greek Life that benefited the United Negro College Fund;
– Collaborated with the vice president of Student Affairs to design a response protocol to Hate-Bias incidents;
– Implemented a Citizen’s Police Academy in collaboration with UMD Human Relations and the Black Student Union to foster constructive dialogue between community members;
– Implemented the Study Circle program in conjunction with UMD Human Relations to elicit minority community input;
– Implemented Black Faculty Staff Association recommendations relating to diversity initiatives;
– Implemented Target Recruiting Team concept to increase minority participation in our hiring process. Minorities comprise 30 percent of the UMDPS workforce;
– Purchased “Language Line” system we share with the campus when an interpreter is needed to overcome language barriers;
– Translated crime prevention materials so it could be used by our Asian community;
– Trained our officers in Behavior Pattern Recognition so they focus on behaviors rather than ethnicity in suspicious behavior calls. We are the only higher education police department that has received this state-of-the-art training;
– Conducted numerous training sessions on valuing diversity for our officers. Upcoming departmental retreat will focus on communication across barriers.
– A major goal of our departmental strategic plan is the development of campuswide diversity initiatives.
The first line of defense this organization uses against misconduct is an aggressive and thorough internal affairs process. We investigate every complaint we receive, whether the complaint is formal or informal. The investigation into this incident is a complex legal process and will take time to complete. At the conclusion of this investigation, the complaining parties will be notified of the outcome and our findings will be reported in our 2005 Internal Affairs Annual Report, which is available on our website. Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call my office at (301) 405-5726.
Chief Kenneth W. Krouse
University of Maryland Department of Public Safety
