University Police officers spent Fall Quarter watching, waiting and working plenty of overtime.
First came stings on local bars to arrest students carrying fake identification. Then there were a series of robberies and assaults. UP officers went farther into Evanston. They also added extra night patrols and investigated the attacks with Evanston Police Department.
Now a study by Northwestern’s Center for Public Safety will determine if UP is stretched too thin.
“We’re trying to see whether or not we’re utilizing our resources in a proper manner, to see if we need additional resources,” Assistant Chief Daniel McAleer said.
Forty officers work on NU’s two campuses, McAleer said. Depending on the night, two to five officers patrol the Evanston Campus.
Although the study will focus on staff levels, it could influence how officers will be deployed and how the beats will be zoned, said Alexander Weiss, the center’s director. Results will be released by late March.
“We’re happy to work with University Police on the project and hope what we find will be of value to them and to the community at large,” said Weiss, a professor at Kellogg School of Management.
If the study recommends more officers, UP must ask administrators for more funding. Then comes the recruitment, selection and training of officers. The process could take as long as one year, McAleer said.
“It’s not like you see the benefit of an officer immediately,” he said.
The center is currently working on a similar staffing study for the Scottsdale Police Department in Arizona. It also has trained UP and EPD recruits, as well as done consulting for the federal government and law enforcement agencies as far-flung as Abu Dhabi.
UP Chief Bruce Lewis, who took command of the force this summer, said the study had been in the works for several months, but the fall’s increased security concerns on and around campus jump-started the study.
Eight months ago Evanston City Council allowed UP to patrol farther into the city, sending officers into off-campus areas also patrolled by Evanston police. UP officers also increased patrols after 11 students were attacked, a number Lewis called “atypical.”
“The purpose of the study is to do a historical analysis as well,” he said. “So the study is not based on an extraordinary situation.”
Lewis said police are still investigating the string of robberies and assaults.
Associated Student Government Sen. Meredith Kesner said she hopes the relative quiet on campus won’t discourage UP vigilance.
“The last thing we need is for security to run lax again,” said Kesner, a Medill senior who headed many of ASG’s Fall Quarter safety initiatives.
She added that security doesn’t necessarily mean more officers. Students could feel safer knowing the shuttles run earlier and the Escort Service has added cars, she said.
“We want the most effective force, but it’s not fair to deplete (UP’s) resources,” Kesner said. “Figuring out what they need and the availability of the squad is a good place to start.”
But McAleer said no matter what the study’s findings, UP will be able to manage with the number of officers they currently have.
“It’s not like we’re not able to function,” McAleer said. “The hard thing is we don’t have the flexibility. A lot of the time we depend on overtime and switching schedules. We’ve always adapted to the challenges we’ve faced, but it’s never been totally easy.”
