The following is a communication to the campus community from President
Daniel Mark Fogel. It is being distributed through a listserv reserved for
priority and emergency communications. You cannot unsubscribe from the list.
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December 2, 2002
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:
I am writing to update you on developments related to last month's incident
involving the brief detention of a student of color who was misidentified as
a suspect in an armed robbery.
I have assembled a team of experienced professionals with extensive
law-enforcement knowledge to help us learn from this incident in order to
minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the chances of a similar incident
happening again.
The team consists of Ronald L. Davis of the Police Assessment Resource
Center in Los Angeles; Susan Riseling, Chief of the Police Department at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison; Oliver Clark, Director of the University of
Illinois Division of Public Safety; and Brian Searles, former South
Burlington Police Chief and head of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training
Council. Brief biographical sketches follow this communication.
The team will review the University's response to the incident and conduct a
thorough assessment of all relevant training and procedures. More
specifically, I have asked the team to issue recommendations in the
following areas:
· Staff preparedness to handle major incidents.
· Suspect identification and detention with a special focus on
communication and other techniques in cases where race may be a factor.
· Operational control involving the deployment and supervision of
officers responding to a major incident.
· Proper use of witness and other information in the identification
and apprehension of a suspect.
I have asked the team to issue its recommendations by no later than
mid-February of this coming year. I should note that Chief of Police Gary
Margolis welcomes this review and looks forward to implementing the team's
recommendations to further improve departmental operations.
I also want to remind the community about today's opportunity for open
dialogue on this and other important issues related to campus climate. I,
along with key members of my administrative leadership team, will be present
in Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building, from 4 to 5 p.m. to answer questions
and address concerns.
In addition, please feel free to express thoughts or concerns directly to me
at [log in to unmask]
Daniel Mark Fogel
President
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:
· Ronald L. Davis. Davis joined the Police Assessment Resource Center
(PARC) in Los Angeles as a senior advisor in April, 2002. Davis has more
than 16 years of experience in law enforcement and has held numerous
positions including Area Commander, Investigation Commander, and Police
Academy Director. He is currently a Captain with the Oakland Police
Department. He is also the Personnel and Training Commander. Davis is an
established expert on race relations and has trained 4,000 police personnel
in 14 states. He is the Region VI Vice President of the National
Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
a.. Susan Riseling. Riseling currently leads the Police Department at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to her appointment in 1991, she
served as the second in command at the State University of New York-Stony
Brook Police Department. At the University of Wisconsin, Chief Riseling has
woven problem-solving policing with community-oriented policing to form an
effective approach in dealing with University safety and crime issues. Chief
Riseling is considered an expert in date and acquaintance rape, and was
featured on national television during the Kennedy-Smith rape trial. Chief
Riseling recently served as President of the National Association of Women
Law Enforcement Executives, and as General Chair of the College and
University section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
a.. Oliver Clark. Clark has served as the Director of the University of
Illinois Division of Public Safety for the past seven years. His
professional career in law enforcement spans nearly 35 years. He has worked
in numerous leadership and training positions, including as Chief of Police
at Wellesley College. He is the immediate past President of the
International Association of College Law Enforcement Administrators, and he
is the past Chairman of the College and University section of the
International Association of Chiefs of Police. He also serves as a member of
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
a.. Brian Searles. Searles has for nearly 20 years led organizations
providing police, human resource support and transportation services in
Vermont. He began his professional career as a police officer in South
Burlington, rising through the ranks to become Chief of the department. He
is the former Executive Director of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training
Council, where he was responsible for all criminal justice training and
certification as well as the operation of the Vermont Police Academy. During
his tenure, the size of the academy doubled and the first domestic violence
training was established. Searles currently serves as Secretary of the
Vermont Agency of Transportation.
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