Biased policing involves the inappropriate consideration of personal characteristics, such as race, ethnic background, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, age, disability, political status, or any other legally protected characteristics while enforcing the law or providing police services. Any member who subjects any person to a police action or encounter in a biased manner will be held accountable for their actions.
All University Police Department members receive ongoing ethics and biased policing training in compliance with the rules of the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission and the standards of the Florida Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation to ensure that no person will be subjected to a law enforcement action or encounter that results from biased policing.
There may instances when an officer needs to make contact with you in the course of some type of investigation or welfare check to ensure your personal safety or during a traffic stop while you are driving. Department policy requires these encounters to be based on reasonable suspicion and free of any bias or unfair policing.
Under these circumstances, we advise everyone to follow the officer’s directions and cooperate fully during the encounter. Do not take offense that the officer is asking questions that may seem irrelevant to you at the moment. They are simply doing their jobs to protect you and the campus.
If you believe your encounter was somehow inappropriate, unprofessional, or biased in any manner based on racial, ethnic, or gender-based profiling, please contact the University Police Department to report your concerns. The department accepts complaints from anyone and conducts administrative investigations into all complaints. Once a case is closed, these investigative reports become a public record and are subject to review by anyone.
Additionally, you may obtain a copy of the department’s policy regarding biased policing by simply contacting the University Police Department and asking for a copy.
