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Re-imagining Campus Safety, Security, and Law Enforcement

In January 2020, the University of Arizona retained Margolis Healy and Associates, LLC to help ensure the University is providing unbiased, equitable, inclusive, accountable, and transparent campus safety, security, and law enforcement services.

What began as a more straightforward operational assessment took on added significance as we considered the heightened national conversation around policing as a catalyst for positive change locally.

On April 23, 2021, Margolis Healy provided renewed perspectives and actionable recommendations for how the University community can reimagine our campus safety partnership.

Key Takeaways

Ours is a community thriving with strong partnerships built by dedicated, compassionate employees –many of whom are alumni– and our students. This includes the members of UAPD, who are noted as remarkable among their peers for a high-level of proactive training, sustained triple accreditation and their "approachability and can-do attitude."

This strong foundation positions us well for answering the calls, both nationally and locally, to fundamentally transform how we address the needs of our community – particularly the needs of those among us who have been marginalized for far too long. The report identifies seven major themes, with recommendations for our leadership, UAPD and the entire University to consider:

  • Initiate a Community Restorative Process to Address Lingering Complaints about Interactions with UAPD
  • Embrace a Collaborative Approach with Key Stakeholders
  • Reach Intuitional Consensus on a Re-Imagined Mission, Values, and Culture for UAPD
  • Address Climate Issues within UAPD
  • Enhance Transparency
  • Develop an Alternative Response Program
  • Develop a Robust, Cohesive Strategy for Engaging with the University Community

View the Report

View the complete report, Re-imagining Safety, Security, and Law Enforcement at the University of Arizona, prepared by Margolis Healy and Associates, LLC, April 23, 2021.

View Full Report

Methodology

A two-phase approach was used for this review, with each phase supporting the other and providing additional context for the framework for reimagining campus safety at the University of Arizona.

Phase I included...

  • Extensive community outreach and engagement, through a series of key informant interviews with Arizona community members, including faculty, students, and University leadership, to inform context for the forums.
  • A series of listening sessions, with a wide range of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and student groups.

The facilitators then compiled and analyzed the information they gathered during the engagement sessions, identifying the key themes arising from these conversations.

Phase II included...

  • A review of UAPD operations, approach, and policies and included extensive interviews with UAPD members, campus partners, other key stakeholders, and external agencies with whom UAPD works.

About UAPD

Learn more about the University of Arizona Police Department.

Visit UAPD Website

Campus Advisory Board

The UAPD Campus Advisory Board (CAB) serves as a bridge between UAPD and the campus community, in support of UAPD’s mission of advancing campus safety.

Learn More

Next Steps

The Senior Leadership Team, UAPD, the Campus Advisory Board for UAPD, and partners across the University will come together over the coming months, using the observations and recommendations from this report, to determine the path forward – particularly with an ever-present mindset toward the ongoing global pandemic and its still-evolving financial impacts.

This webpage will provide updates, including any potential opportunities to contribute on next steps.

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