Campus Police Chief Matt Carmichael told an audience of students Tuesday night (May 29) that he wants to work with them to overhaul his department's policies based on guidance from a national organization specializing in public safety practices.

Carmichael

Carmichael, who is just over a month into his one-year appointment as chief, said he wants more student involvement and input on campus policing overall, and wants it to become common practice for police and students to get together for discussion. For example, the chief said, he is planning to give the Aggie Hosts, students trained by the Police Department, a more prominent role in patrolling the campus.

"We're not going to agree on everything right away, but we should meet and discuss, and I believe that it can make a difference," he said at the forum in MU II in the Memorial Union.

The Graduate Student Association-ASUCD Ad Hoc Police Committee organized the program, bringing in Kristee Haggins, associate director of Counseling and Psychological Services, as moderator.

The Police Department's policy manual had not been updated in eight years, Carmichael said. So the university has contracted with Lexipol of Aliso Viejo (Orange County) to provide a new policy manual that can be customized for UC Davis.

Lexipol provides manuals for public safety agencies across the country, including police departments at eight UC campuses. Manuals are automatically updated twice a year, with urgent updates provided as necessary. In addition, the company sends daily training bulletins that officers are required to work through to ensure they understand policy.

The UC Davis Police Department's new policy manual will be fully available online, Carmichael said. The manual will ensure that the Police Department is following  best practices in law enforcement, and that any changes in policy and training will be archived for reference.

Carmichael introduced Paul Harman, a veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, who has been hired on a contract to customize the UC Davis manual for the Davis and Sacramento campuses. All Lexipol manuals clearly lay out federal and state laws and regulations, national best practices and local adaptations, Harman said.

"Lexipol has never had a police department lose in court based on policy," Harman said. In addition, departments using the service see fewer claims against the departments.

Carmichael emphasized that he and Harman want to get input from the campus community on policy issues, and the chief added that he expects to hold additional forums. The new policies will be reviewed by Carmichael and, finally, by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter before being implemented. Policy would be accredited by POST in California, and the campus would also seek national accreditation from the Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation (CALEA).

Audience members asked about possible sanctions for officers who do not keep up to date on policy, as well as the democratization of the Police Department and whether the campus needed a police unit at all — could the Davis Police Department or student security guards do the job?

Conceivably, the university could contract with other agencies — say, the city of Davis or the Yolo County Sheriff's Department — to cover the campus, Carmichael said.

But the campus is effectively a small city in itself with a large area and a large number of people, he said. Also, UC Davis includes laboratories and special facilities, with chemical and radioactive hazards. And the campus often hosts high-profile visitors including governors, heads of state, presidential candidates and even former presidents. That all argues for a department dedicated to and familiar with the campus, he said.

Carmichael said he is very open to a police commission or review board to oversee the department. He has engaged Barbara Attard, a former ombudsman for the city of San Jose, as a consultant on the topic. Attard will start working on the issue this fall when students return to campus.

The advantage of a police review board is that it would bring independent review of complaints, Carmichael said.

"I have faith in our complaints system, but if someone brings a complaint and it is not upheld, right now the only appeal is to me," he said.