September 21, 2023
Dear Campus Community,
One of the four core pillars of our university's strategic plan is to "invest in people and communities." We made a major advance in this commitment when President Pines announced plans to implement a series of recommendations put forward by the Public Safety and Community Policing Task Force.
These recommendations are designed to guide our campus toward more collaborative and trusting partnerships between public safety officials and the university community.
As co-chairs of the Campus Safety Advisory Council (CSAC), established through this effort, we are pleased to share the progress made since our last update in January.
Of the 21 task force recommendations, 11 are now complete or have a sustained commitment, including six recommendations that have been completed or that have garnered a sustained commitment since January. The other 10 recommendations are in progress. Examples include:
- UMD is hiring an in-house team of mental health clinicians who will respond to mental health emergencies along with the first responders. The team will be called the Mental Health Emergency Assessment and Response Team (MHEART).
- The Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Division of Student Affairs continue to work in close partnership in responding to student needs and have completed a joint Memorandum of Understanding on the matter.
- With thoughtful input from the Campus Safety Advisory Council, DPS has revised its mission statement to align more closely with the mission of the university.
- To bolster communication and knowledge with the campus community, DPS launched a non-credit citizens' police academy this semester, and a new for-credit class is being planned for Spring 2024.
We encourage you to review our online dashboard for details on each of the above and the implementation status of all 21 task force recommendations.
The advancements to date have benefited from the strong support and sustained commitment of President Pines, the Division of Student Affairs, the Department of Public Safety, CSAC, and other campus stakeholders. We look forward to continued progress ahead.
Sincerely,
Carlo Colella
Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer
He/Him/His
Georgina Dodge, Ph.D.
Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion
She/Her/Hers