University of California Police Department - Organization

Organization

The department consists of ten departments (one for each UC campus), each led by its own chief of police. Unlike other police departments in the state, there is no single chief of the UCPD, however one chief is selected as the department's central coordinator (currently Chief Pamela E. Roskowski of UCSF). The coordinator is responsible for compiling crime statistics from each campus, as required by the Clery Act, and for ensuring that the various departments are operating within the UCPD's mission. However, the coordinator does not dictate the day-to-day operations of the department, and each department sets its own Standard Operating Policies.

Still, the UCPD is more coordinated than this organization would suggest. The department shares a central mission and philosophy, including that of community oriented policing. The departments maintain communication with each other and frequently call upon each other for mutual aid, which is facilitated by a department standard uniform and duty gear (including using the same trunked radio system at all departments, allowing personnel to use their issued radios at any campus).

Almost all of the departments have a Community Service Officer (CSO) program. CSOs are non-sworn student employees that perform various tasks for the department. Although their job description varies slightly from department to department, most utilize CSOs to perform night escorts, building checks, and general citizen assistance. Because CSOs have no legal authority, their main purpose is to act as additional "eyes and ears" of the department.

Seven of the ten UCPD departments use tasers (UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Davis, UC Merced). UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Berkeley currently do not intend to purchase Tasers.

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