Update on UC Community Safety Plan

Monday, Nov. 8, 2021

The UC Community Safety Plan is a living document that will be refined at every stage of the process based on community feedback, empirical data and new information.

Since the release of the UC Community Safety Plan, each campus has identified a responsible officer to facilitate and manage execution of the actions in the plan. In addition to providing ongoing updates to their campus communities and to the UC Office of the President, each campus is asked to provide formal progress reports twice a year. The first report is expected to be due by January 14, 2022, to cover all plan actions through December 31, 2021

Below are key updates regarding implementation of the actions in the UC Community Safety Plan as of the end of October 2021.

Community and Service-Driven Safety

As recommended, the UC Office of the President has formed a systemwide workgroup (including students, faculty and staff) to recommend vehicle, uniform and equipment standards for every tier in the safety model. The workgroup will hold their first meeting on November 8, 2021.

Several of the actions under this guideline involve verification of ongoing processes. By September 30, 2021, campuses were expected to have confirmed ongoing processes were in place for:

• Ensuring broad representation of the full UC community in community safety task forces and working groups (1.1)
• Establishing community-led processes to define and advise on the strategies and approach in the tiered response model (1.2)
• The consideration by campus leadership of the history of policing, and the variety of views including maintaining, defunding or abolishing police departments (1.3).
• Including behaviors consistent with the University’s principles of community and their commitment to integrity, excellence, accountability and respect in evaluation criteria for candidates in hiring and promotional decisions for campus safety roles (1.9)
• 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. (1.10)
• 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. (1.13)

Campuses will report their execution of these actions in the twice a year report.

A Holistic, Inclusive and Tiered Response Model for Safety Services

A key action in support of this goal is the development of 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 (2.4).

Responsible officers across the system have explored and shared some of the many dependencies involved in meeting the 2.4 action, including the need to partner with local district attorneys. To provide greater clarity on expectations, the UC Office of the President has asked campuses to work with district attorneys and other stakeholders to assess the feasibility of community-based solutions and complete a report by March 31, 2021.

By September 30, 2021, campuses were expected to have confirmed ongoing process for following 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 (2.3). Campuses will report their execution of this action in the twice a year report.

By October 31, 2021, each campus was to have paused hiring of campus safety personnel until the plan described in 2.1 (plan for tiered response model) has been submitted. Exceptions to the pause, based on meeting basic safety needs, must be approved by the Chancellor (2.2). Campuses will report their execution of this action in the twice a year report.

Transparency and Continuous Improvement Through Data

October 28, 2021, was the kickoff for the systemwide working group — including students, faculty and staff — established to develop an implementation plan for a publicly available systemwide dashboard of community safety data.

Accountability and Independent Oversight

Even though no milestone dates for this guideline have passed, campuses and the UC Office of the President are working proactively in anticipation of meeting accountability and independent oversight actions. Additionally, the UC Office of President has begun recruitment for the Systemwide Director of Community Safety (4.6).