As UC Davis’ Next Generation Reforms to Advance Campus Safety Task Force begins considering what the campus Police Department could look like in the future, the department itself is showing the improvements it has made the last several years.

The changes are highlighted on the department’s new website, which went live Friday (July 24). The makeover better serves the community, reflects the department’s diversity and features “The UC Davis Difference” — steps the department has taken to be more inclusive and reflective of the community.

“I am grateful to play a role on the chancellor’s task force in reimagining the future of campus safety,” Chief Joseph Farrow said. “We have had our own adversity, and are facing turbulent times nationally — requiring a shift in mind set. I feel transformation on the horizon and look forward to the challenging and important discussions ahead.”

The task force, comprising students, faculty and staff, met for the first time Monday (July 27). Co-chairs are Renetta Garrison Tull, vice chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Kevin Johnson, dean of the School of Law.

In establishing the task force June 11, in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Chancellor Gary S. May asked the membership to consider how the Police Department should look, operate and engage on the Davis and Sacramento campuses — each with different missions and make-up.

Regents to hear from Chancellor May

Wednesday (July 29), the chancellor will update the Board of Regents on the task force and other efforts to date on campus safety.

He referenced some of those efforts in his charge letter to the task force, including:

• Cadet Academy — Established by the department to offer law enforcement training to students, and as a way of building a diverse pool of candidates for openings in the department.
• Police Accountability Board — Established by the university as an independent panel tasked with reviewing complaints against the department.
• A training focus on de-escalation techniques, and mental health and crisis response.

Further, the department has met 22 recommendations of UC President Janet Napolitano’s task force on campus policing — that’s all of the recommendations that could be implemented at the campus level — and is working with the Office of the President and other UC police departments on six remaining recommendations that are systemwide in nature.

Under Chief Farrow’s leadership, the department is in the process of accreditation by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. This accreditation requires not just updating policies and practices but continuous assessment to keep the department up to date.

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.