Letter from Chief Linda Stump on FDLE Report
Oct. 24, 2007
The University of Florida Police Department has long been committed to providing the best possible, most advanced and professional police services to the University of Florida community. Our purpose is, and has always been, to ensure a civil and safe environment where the many types of campus activities and open discourse can occur. To do this, we must manage potential and/or real threats at events in a prompt and decisive manner, while maintaining the dignity of all participants. We have taken the time to reflect on and learn from the events at John Kerry’s recent talk as they relate to UFPD’s longstanding objectives.
The independent investigation conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has determined that our officers made decisions and acted consistently with the training they received and complied with state law. As more information has come to be known as to the circumstances surrounding the event, we continue to support our officers who made difficult decisions during the quickly evolving disruption of the event. In light of the findings in the report, the two officers who were placed on leave pending the outcome of FDLE's investigation, have been reinstated.
At the same time, we are open-minded about ways in which we could manage disruptions and security at events. We seek to continuously align our security approaches with the needs and expectations of the UF community, including events participants and invited guests. We fully support review of our security protocols for university events by the committee of faculty and students that President Machen has appointed.
In the meantime, we have continued our review of events security and management protocols with the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs to improve our levels of service, both at the pre-planning and the execution stages of student sponsored events. These discussions include better communication methods, as well as further development of the best roles for moderators, student security, events management staff, and the campus police.
It is our individual and collective responsibilities as good leaders, and as a great institution, to reflect on the manner in which we conduct our work, provide a safe environment in which to learn and openly discuss issues, protect our constituents, and enforce our university regulations and laws. This process should never begin or end with one event. It is our responsibility to ensure that we engage in a continuous learning process that supports constant improvement. We look forward to engaging in this process with the UF community.
Chief Linda J. Stump
University of Florida Police Department