The Federated University Police Officers’ Association (“FUPOA”) issued the following statement regarding the campus police response to the violence we witnessed at the encampments.
The officers of the ten UC Police Departments are obligated to follow the direction of the leadership of the various campuses. We welcome the upcoming probe by UC President Michael Drake into the “university’s planning, its actions and the response by law enforcement.”
In the University of California system, the Police Departments on each campus are entrusted with the critical responsibility of maintaining law and order. However, it’s paramount to recognize that when protests erupt on campus, the decisions regarding the response of the UC Police rest firmly in the hands of campus leadership. They shoulder the accountability for the outcomes stemming from these decisions, not the UC Police Department. It underscores the crucial distinction between operational execution and strategic direction. The campus leadership, not law enforcement, owns the results of their decisions.
Click here to download a printable version of this news release.