Task force urges U. Police to make immediate changes

University Police could have more women and minority supervisors and a Police-Community Advisory Council to supervise police work, if suggestions given by the Task Force on Public Safety Practices are enacted. The Task Force on Public Safety Practices, which was appointed after the confiscation of The Daily Pennsylvanian last spring, will release its recommendations for improving security on campus to University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich today in a 44 page report. The 18-member Task Force was created last May by then-Provost Michael Aiken and Executive Vice President Janet Hale. Sociology and Management Professor Michael Useem was appointed chairperson. To strengthen race relations with the University Police department, the Task Force recommended to "expand in-service training to include conflict resolution skills and understanding of racial and ethnic diversity." They suggest a new full time police position be appointed to oversee these steps and diversity education. Kuprevich said the issue of diversity is one which his department has already tried to address. "The issue of cultural diversity is one that we have been working on," Kuprevich said last night. As for the Police-Community Advisory Council, "it is similar in serving the functions of the advisory council in the city," he added. It would be comprised of members of the University Police department, faculty, staff, students and members of the neighboring community. "Penn's commitment to community policing -- which stresses cooperative relations between police and community members -- is commendable," Useem said in a statement. "We feel our recommendations will enhance its operations, and provide everyone with the kind of information needed so that we can all work together to ensure a safer environment." Also recommended in the report was the development of "new standards for the use of force, interrogation practices and handling civilian complaints." During the DP confiscation, an officer was accused of striking a student on the thigh with a collapsible baton. That officer, John Washington, was suspended for three days, without pay, following a panel report which issued the suspension. Washington has since appealed his suspension to the American Arbitration Association, where his case was heard earlier this month. In addition, the Task Force recommends that if a complaint is logged against a University Police officer, the department will forward the complaint to a new "Internal Affairs Officer" who will "investigate civilian complaints against the police." "They [will] now know the standards of what we expect in terms of the use of force," Kuprevich said. "We standardize and have one person address complaints. And we are taking that recommendation and we plan to implement that." The report also asks University Police to build a stronger working relationship with Philadelphia Police and clarify jurisdiction, particularly off-campus. University Police currently patrol as far west as 43rd Street, but do not have deputy status with the Philadelphia Police department. Kuprevich says he has already started working on jurisdiction issues. "Within the state, we are working with the three other universities that have similar police departments -- Temple, Penn State and Pitt -- to clarify police jurisdiction in the state," he said. And in response to problems with security services contracted by the University, the report recommended that all security services be under the direction of the Division of Public Safety. This recommendation echoes a similar proposal which was outlined in the preliminary report of the Commission on Strengthening the Community released last month.