A task force with California State University, Chico released their recommendations Monday on how to improve policies and practices at the University Police Department. Robert Morton, co-chair of the Presidential Task Force on Policing and the university’s Title IX investigator, said the task force convened in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
“There became a national call for justice and accountability with policing,” he said. “Our campus began to have conversations at the academic senate level. And our president was also trying to think about what is the right process for us to tackle these things locally.”
Morton said releasing the report the day before the anniversary of Floyd’s murder was significant but not intentional.
“We worked feverishly throughout this process, to keep in mind that while we were doing this work, that there were people dying...the purpose of this work was becoming even more apparent in our national landscape. And so that gave us the motivation to try to get this done and to do it correctly,” he said.
The report consists of more than 50 recommendations. Morton said all of the recommendations are important, but there were a few in particular he wanted to highlight: establish an independent response team for mental health calls and create a police accountability board.
“We want there to be a consistent conversation, where the campus, the administration, is constantly listening to the students and community members with regard to police,” Morton said. “That was pretty much a keystone.”
Overall, the report covered five themes with numerous recommendations listed under each topic.
- Center fairness and respect
- Promote wellness and safety
- Strengthen the relationships among the University Police Department and the larger campus community
- Increase systems of transparency and accountability
- Reimagine training, professional development and recruitment
University President Gail Hutchinson said in a statement Monday that she will review the recommendations and announce the actions to be taken at the start of the Fall semester.
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