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Community Safety and Security Advisory Committee

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The Community Safety and Security Advisory Committee (CSSAC) advises the Chancellor of University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) through the Vice Chancellor of Resource Management & Planning, regarding issues that impact safety, security and quality of life of faculty, students, staff and visitors of UC San Diego campus and Medical Centers. The CSSAC proactively seeks the advice and counsel of diverse groups of community members to make recommendations regarding issues that impact the safety, security and quality of life of the students, faculty, staff and visitors of UC San Diego Campus and Medical Centers.

The purpose of the CSSAC is to provide a forum to exchange safety and security related ideas and discuss community safety issues impacting the UC San Diego community, with the ultimate goal of presenting recommendations to VC Matthews for improvement in these areas. The Committee acts in a proactive and problem-solving manner to:

  • Address campus community concerns related to safety, security and quality of life issues.
  • Discuss issues affecting community safety on campus and in adjacent neighborhoods.
  • Discuss crime reduction programs with emphasis on community policing.
  • Discuss how to improve the delivery of safety and security related services to the UC San Diego community.
  • Strengthen trust between the Police Department and campus community.
  • Work on safety and security related issues or projects identified by the VC RMP or designee for action/recommendations.
  • Recommend policies, practices and protocols that support the shared goals of inclusive policing.

Individual committee members are responsible for multi-directional communication, specifically regarding, but not limited to:

  • Progress, updates and committee meeting overview from the CSSAC to their representative departments or units.
  • Progress, updates, feedback and recommendations from member representative departments or unit and shared with the CSSAC.
  • Communicate progress, updates and pertinent information with Senior Administrators.
  • Communicate progress, updates and pertinent information made by the CSSAC to the UC San Diego community through strategic advertising or marketing campaigns, if applicable.
  • When needed, create subcommittees to review specific issues, which will be reviewed by the Committee and added to recommendations made to the VC RMP.

Committee Members

See the current member list.

Resources

Community Safety and Security Committee Presentation Dec. 16, 2020 (PDF)

Overview

UC San Diego has been, and continues to be, committed to leading, participating, and adapting to ongoing national discussions related to community policing and racial and social justice. The current average university population is 65,000 with an average student population of 40,473. The UC San Diego Police Department operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Sworn officers, Community Safety Officers, Residential Security Officers, Bicycle Officers and support staff provide public safety services for the Main Campus, East Campus Medical Centers and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

In 2019, the Community Safety and Security Advisory Committee (CSSAC) was established as an Independent advisory board. Committee membership aims to reach all campus constituencies. Members are selected through shared governance with the Academic Senate and each vice chancellor area.

Agenda items and discussions from these meetings include:

  • Environmental contributors that impact student mental health, e.g., class load, housing density, stress, construction impacts, welcoming open space, and mitigating factors such as counseling and stress-relieving events
  • Statistics and history of student mental health transports (5,150) and possible contributing factors
  • Suicide prevention and signage on the new Gilman Bridge
  • University of California Office of the President Policing Task Force Report
  • Number of police officers on campus
  • Physical security and discussion about high-security areas, e.g., bollards, key access, and building security
  • Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment (SARA) policing model
  • Campus Clery program and reporting
  • The annual lighting survey and campus walk
  • Emergency notifications, Triton Alerts, Everbridge notification system, and Web EOC
  • Social injustice and civil unrest and its impacts on campus
  • The COVID-19 pandemic, campus impacts, and responses related to employee, student and research safety
  • Overview of:
    • The University of California Police Department
    • Environment, Health, and Safety
    • The Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Team
    • The Emergency Management and Business Continuity Team
    • Student Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
    • The partnership between San Diego Fire Rescue Lifeguards and UC San Diego

The committee finalized its report on June 30, 2020, which resulted in a more frequent meeting schedule starting in July 2020 due to continuing impact, development, and response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Members can also attend the weekly Emergency Operations Center COVID-19 Management Task Force meeting where all independent task forces report their response activities. Meeting attendees can contribute to the discussion and participate in developing overall campus response efforts.

Actions Taken Since July 2020

Several ongoing topical discussions, workgroups, and collaborations have involved the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Black Student Union, Black Staff Association and others related to community policing. These efforts have resulted in exploration and implementation of multiple programs: a revised approach to mental health crises employing mental health professionals rather than armed police as primary responders; implicit bias training; and new uniforms and titles for security staff.

Specific campus safety actions include:

  • Launching the Transformational Policing Initiative promoting justice and equity, fostering trust, collaborative community relationships, and empowering all officers to make positive change to benefit the communities they protect
  • Implementing UC San Diego Risk Management’s initiative to help youth program leaders stay connected virtually with youth while also maintaining safe boundaries
  • Implementing a new Anonymous Crime and Tip Reporting system
  • Producing a UC San Diego Police Department Student Orientation video
  • Engaging a qualified consultant to conduct an internal review of police department staff at all levels to assess morale and the internal environment, managed by the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Resource Management & Planning
  • Working with the Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion to minimize the potential for implicit bias. In the UC San Diego Police Department, including staff participation in Bias and Racial Profiling and UC Managing Implicit Bias training
  • Publishing the Annual Lighting Survey results online
  • Avoiding layoffs related to the COVID-19 pandemic that disproportionately hurt vulnerable UC San Diego student workers as demanded by the Black Student Union

Additional Actions Underway

The CSSAC will expand member representation from diverse campus constituencies, including additional students and members from the Black community. The CSSAC will create a subgroup that will focus specifically on topics and themes related to anti-racism and anti-Blackness. This group will host listening sessions in early 2021.

Mental Health Concerns

In response to recent requests by concerned students, staff, and faculty for a program to support those experiencing mental health challenges, UC San Diego Police and Student Health and Wellbeing Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) began developing the Resources & Response to psychological emergencies program, modeled after the Community Research Foundation’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team). The UC San Diego Psychiatric Emergency Response Team would manage the program that pairs a licensed mental health clinician with a law enforcement officer where the clinician, provided it is safe, is the first responder and assists persons in behavioral health related crises. UC San Diego has submitted the proposal to the county and a proposed budget is under consideration.

Continued Collaborations

UC San Diego Police will continue to collaborate with Housing Dining & Hospitality on the Community Policing Workgroup, focusing on the unique safety and security needs of the campus residential population and will adapt as the campus community’s needs change and evolve.

If you have comments or concerns, please complete our feedback form.

Questions?

Contact Marie-Pierre Murry, (858) 534-6821.