'Bud' Riley Rebuilds HUPD

Less than a year after coming to Harvard, University Police (HUPD) Chief Francis D. "Bud" Riley has already made his mark on a department that for years had been riddled with scandal and internal strife.

Riley's rebuilding of the HUPD in his image began last spring with a series of smaller moves aimed at bringing the concept of community policing to campus.

Since then, Riley has developed a plan that will radically restructure the way the HUPD patrols campus and will improve police-student relations.

As part of that plan, which is scheduled to begin next month, Riley says he will launch an unprecedented alliance between police and security guards to improve their joint policing efforts.

Riley has also undertaken a reformation of the department's internal administrative structure.

Under Riley's predecessor, Paul E. Johnson, the department was faced with bitter internal bickering, including a drawn-out battle with HUPD officers over their contract and constant in-fighting among the department's brass.

But in his first nine months, Riley has re-assigned two high-ranking officers and promoted others in a shake-up of the HUPD's old hierarchy.

He has also responded to charges of racism leveled against officers during Johnson's tenure by establishing training seminars and creating a new police advisory board that will include students who represent minority groups.

Riley says he has based his restructuring program on the principle that getting police out on the street and having them interact with students is the most foolproof way to reduce crime.

If students can feel comfortable interacting with police, then his officers' work will be that much easier, according to Riley.

Cops on Patrol

Riley's most comprehensive initiative since moving into his post last year will redistribute police resources in order to improve officers' communication with other members of their department.

Presently, the HUPD patrol network, as during Johnson's tenure, has divided the campus into roughly five large sections that are each patrolled by one HUPD cruiser.

But Riley says cruiser patrols are ineffective.

"In an urban setup like we have here [in Cambridge], it puts people in a metal and glass tank, making them virtually unapproachable," Riley says.

Riley says few students feel comfortable walking up to a police cruiser to chat with officers or to report security problems.

And cruiser patrols also limit the ability of officers to police areas not otherwise accessible by a car, such as Radcliffe Yard.

According to Riley's new plan, the campus will be covered by three community policing teams.

Each team will be responsible for one of three areas: the Yard (including the Science Center and Memorial Hall), the River houses and the Quad.

The teams will be headed by one of three HUPD sergeants who will each supervise three officers and the security guards in the area.

The restructuring will lead to a "team approach" among the cops, Riley says, that will facilitate their crime stopping.

Each officer will also be assigned responsibility for patrolling a cluster of houses or buildings within a given unit.

"[The new plan] gives a sense of responsibility to the teams," he says. "It also gives them the sense that they're responsible for coming up with creative solutions for solving problems [within their units]."

And if an incident occurs in a unit while officers responsible for the area are not nearby, reports will eventually be funneled back to them in order to improve their knowledge of crime in their district.

As part of Riley's initiative, he worked with House masters and Harvard Dining Services officials to allow officers to eat in each of the houses.

Riley says HUPD cops are assigned to meals in houses on a rotating basis in order to enhance officer visibility and their interaction with students.

If all goes as Riley hopes, the new plan will increase familiarity between the students and HUPD officers, making the students more likely to approach the officers with problems.

"We're trying to make it as user-friendly as possible to the students," Riley says.

Riley says he plans to introduce the community police officers to the house masters in a meeting at the end of this month.

He adds that in the coming months he will introduce crime prevention programs in each of the houses that will be run by HUPD sergeants.

Sgts. Robert Cooper, Robert Kotowski and James L. McCarthy will run the safety awareness program as well as programs on self-defense and bike theft in the houses.

If an incident of crime occurs in or near a house, the HUPD sergeant in charge of that house may also hold a session addressing the crime, Riley says.

According to McCarthy, the Rape Aggression Defense Program (RAD) will also move from house to house on a rotating basis in order to increase the accessibility of the program to students.

The sergeants say they are excited about their unit assignments and the prospect of increased interaction with students.

"I'm looking forward to [the implementation of the plan] because I think it can help tremendously with [HUPD] relations with students and faculty," McCarthy says.

In addition, Riley is planning to send HUPD sergeants and officers to the Crime Prevention Institute in Kentucky.

Presently the HUPD only has only one certified crime prevention officer.

"I did not want one person responsible for crime prevention [on campus]," Riley says.

Riley says the certified sergeants and officers will be able to assess such safety conditions as campus lighting and will be able to address student safety concerns as well.

In March, Riley implemented a modified policing plan that Johnson had been considering.

He opened a police substation in the basement of Weld Hall, staffed 24 hours a day, to enable students to have more direct contact with officers.

Currently the substation is mainly staffed by security guards, although HUPD officers spend time there as well, Riley says.

And the HUPD is looking for more office space in the Yard, Riley says.

Riley is also working with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to create police substations at the Quad and River houses.

According to Riley, the location of the substations is important because the HUPD wants to be accessible, but not intrusive.

Security Guards

The most controversial portion of Riley's plan may be his decision to integrate Harvard's security guards into the community policing plan.

The plan is the first attempt to increase cooperation between security guards and police, who have been at odds in the past.

Security guard-police relations have always been tenuous because the role of HUPD officers and security guards in policing has always been unclear.

While the plan is still in the works, according to Riley, he says that guards will be full team members in the near future.

Riley's plan, however, may meet opposition from the security guards' union.

Currently, the security guards are in the process of filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to break off from Local 254 and form their own union.

Riley says he must wait to announce the details on the security guards' place in his plan until the NLRB assigns a new representative for the guards.

"Integration cannot take place until labor negotiations and other administrative matters have been taken care of," Riley says.

After looking at the generally more friendly and comfortable relationship between students and the Harvard security guards, Riley says he was impressed with rapport between guards and students.

Riley says he saw that the security guards have a definite place in campus life--students constantly see them patrolling the campus or eating in the dining halls.

While Superintendent for Security Services Calvin J. Kantor reports to Riley, the chief says there has been limited interaction between the two departments on a regular basis.

Riley says the guards are in the ideal position to act as a community liaison between the Harvard community and the HUPD.

With the help of the guards, the chief says he wants to establish more community-based activities for the HUPD.

"It seemed to me that we already had that function in place with the guards," Riley says. "It was just a matter of training the guards to act as liaisons.

Increasing Visibility

Riley says he also plans to create a high visibility corridor of police officers that extends from the river houses, through the Yard and up Garden Street to the Quad.

The HUPD bicycle patrol officers who have already begun to make their presence known on campus will also be a part of the visibility corridor, Riley says.

Riley instituted bike patrols last spring to increase the visibility of cops on campus.

The highest concentration of officers patrolling the campus will be between 4 p.m. and midnight, the time in which most calls come in.

Riley also plans to create maps of campus that plot all of the crimes that have occurred in the area. The HUPD is working in conjunction with the Cambridge Police Department, the city of Cambridge, the Graduate School of Design and Harvard Planning and Real Estate to create the map.

Riley hopes that the map "gives people a better understanding of where the hotspots are on campus."

According to Riley, the bike patrols will be visible during the day, while more cruisers will patrol at night.

As a result of the restructuring, there will be three HUPD cruisers available for response and more officers available for foot patrols than in the past.

Riley stresses that despite the changes, officers have not been taken away from patrolling other areas of the campus.

"[The HUPD] is trying to walk the fine line between providing safety and intruding into the lives of students," Riley says.

Internal Changes

Many of the changes Riley has made during the last nine months have been very visible.

The bike cops, new security phones and officers eating in dining halls are all changes that most students have noticed.

But some of Riley's most significant changes have taken place within the department itself.

When Riley first took the job, the HUPD had a tremendous amount of internal strife and division.

Since then, Riley has made a series of personnel moves and promotions that have increased the role of some of the department's most well-liked officers.

Kotowski, who is the former head of the police officers' union, was promoted by Riley to Sergeant and will now head one of the three crime districts.

Sgt. Kathleen Stanford and Lt. John Rooney have been removed from their high-profile positions as departmental supervisors of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

Riley says he made the move after Stanford and Rooney requested to be reassigned.

Sgt. Richard W. Mederos, who formerly worked under Stanford and Rooney, was recently promoted to Sergeant and appointed the new supervisor of the CID.

Riley has focused his efforts since January on reshuffling the HUPD and setting out his crime prevention strategy.

In the months that follow, Riley's plans will be cemented and he can refocus on his primary task--stopping crime.Crimson File Photo

If students can feel comfortable interacting with police, then his officers' work will be that much easier, according to Riley.

Cops on Patrol

Riley's most comprehensive initiative since moving into his post last year will redistribute police resources in order to improve officers' communication with other members of their department.

Presently, the HUPD patrol network, as during Johnson's tenure, has divided the campus into roughly five large sections that are each patrolled by one HUPD cruiser.

But Riley says cruiser patrols are ineffective.

"In an urban setup like we have here [in Cambridge], it puts people in a metal and glass tank, making them virtually unapproachable," Riley says.

Riley says few students feel comfortable walking up to a police cruiser to chat with officers or to report security problems.

And cruiser patrols also limit the ability of officers to police areas not otherwise accessible by a car, such as Radcliffe Yard.

According to Riley's new plan, the campus will be covered by three community policing teams.

Each team will be responsible for one of three areas: the Yard (including the Science Center and Memorial Hall), the River houses and the Quad.

The teams will be headed by one of three HUPD sergeants who will each supervise three officers and the security guards in the area.

The restructuring will lead to a "team approach" among the cops, Riley says, that will facilitate their crime stopping.

Each officer will also be assigned responsibility for patrolling a cluster of houses or buildings within a given unit.

"[The new plan] gives a sense of responsibility to the teams," he says. "It also gives them the sense that they're responsible for coming up with creative solutions for solving problems [within their units]."

And if an incident occurs in a unit while officers responsible for the area are not nearby, reports will eventually be funneled back to them in order to improve their knowledge of crime in their district.

As part of Riley's initiative, he worked with House masters and Harvard Dining Services officials to allow officers to eat in each of the houses.

Riley says HUPD cops are assigned to meals in houses on a rotating basis in order to enhance officer visibility and their interaction with students.

If all goes as Riley hopes, the new plan will increase familiarity between the students and HUPD officers, making the students more likely to approach the officers with problems.

"We're trying to make it as user-friendly as possible to the students," Riley says.

Riley says he plans to introduce the community police officers to the house masters in a meeting at the end of this month.

He adds that in the coming months he will introduce crime prevention programs in each of the houses that will be run by HUPD sergeants.

Sgts. Robert Cooper, Robert Kotowski and James L. McCarthy will run the safety awareness program as well as programs on self-defense and bike theft in the houses.

If an incident of crime occurs in or near a house, the HUPD sergeant in charge of that house may also hold a session addressing the crime, Riley says.

According to McCarthy, the Rape Aggression Defense Program (RAD) will also move from house to house on a rotating basis in order to increase the accessibility of the program to students.

The sergeants say they are excited about their unit assignments and the prospect of increased interaction with students.

"I'm looking forward to [the implementation of the plan] because I think it can help tremendously with [HUPD] relations with students and faculty," McCarthy says.

In addition, Riley is planning to send HUPD sergeants and officers to the Crime Prevention Institute in Kentucky.

Presently the HUPD only has only one certified crime prevention officer.

"I did not want one person responsible for crime prevention [on campus]," Riley says.

Riley says the certified sergeants and officers will be able to assess such safety conditions as campus lighting and will be able to address student safety concerns as well.

In March, Riley implemented a modified policing plan that Johnson had been considering.

He opened a police substation in the basement of Weld Hall, staffed 24 hours a day, to enable students to have more direct contact with officers.

Currently the substation is mainly staffed by security guards, although HUPD officers spend time there as well, Riley says.

And the HUPD is looking for more office space in the Yard, Riley says.

Riley is also working with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to create police substations at the Quad and River houses.

According to Riley, the location of the substations is important because the HUPD wants to be accessible, but not intrusive.

Security Guards

The most controversial portion of Riley's plan may be his decision to integrate Harvard's security guards into the community policing plan.

The plan is the first attempt to increase cooperation between security guards and police, who have been at odds in the past.

Security guard-police relations have always been tenuous because the role of HUPD officers and security guards in policing has always been unclear.

While the plan is still in the works, according to Riley, he says that guards will be full team members in the near future.

Riley's plan, however, may meet opposition from the security guards' union.

Currently, the security guards are in the process of filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to break off from Local 254 and form their own union.

Riley says he must wait to announce the details on the security guards' place in his plan until the NLRB assigns a new representative for the guards.

"Integration cannot take place until labor negotiations and other administrative matters have been taken care of," Riley says.

After looking at the generally more friendly and comfortable relationship between students and the Harvard security guards, Riley says he was impressed with rapport between guards and students.

Riley says he saw that the security guards have a definite place in campus life--students constantly see them patrolling the campus or eating in the dining halls.

While Superintendent for Security Services Calvin J. Kantor reports to Riley, the chief says there has been limited interaction between the two departments on a regular basis.

Riley says the guards are in the ideal position to act as a community liaison between the Harvard community and the HUPD.

With the help of the guards, the chief says he wants to establish more community-based activities for the HUPD.

"It seemed to me that we already had that function in place with the guards," Riley says. "It was just a matter of training the guards to act as liaisons.

Increasing Visibility

Riley says he also plans to create a high visibility corridor of police officers that extends from the river houses, through the Yard and up Garden Street to the Quad.

The HUPD bicycle patrol officers who have already begun to make their presence known on campus will also be a part of the visibility corridor, Riley says.

Riley instituted bike patrols last spring to increase the visibility of cops on campus.

The highest concentration of officers patrolling the campus will be between 4 p.m. and midnight, the time in which most calls come in.

Riley also plans to create maps of campus that plot all of the crimes that have occurred in the area. The HUPD is working in conjunction with the Cambridge Police Department, the city of Cambridge, the Graduate School of Design and Harvard Planning and Real Estate to create the map.

Riley hopes that the map "gives people a better understanding of where the hotspots are on campus."

According to Riley, the bike patrols will be visible during the day, while more cruisers will patrol at night.

As a result of the restructuring, there will be three HUPD cruisers available for response and more officers available for foot patrols than in the past.

Riley stresses that despite the changes, officers have not been taken away from patrolling other areas of the campus.

"[The HUPD] is trying to walk the fine line between providing safety and intruding into the lives of students," Riley says.

Internal Changes

Many of the changes Riley has made during the last nine months have been very visible.

The bike cops, new security phones and officers eating in dining halls are all changes that most students have noticed.

But some of Riley's most significant changes have taken place within the department itself.

When Riley first took the job, the HUPD had a tremendous amount of internal strife and division.

Since then, Riley has made a series of personnel moves and promotions that have increased the role of some of the department's most well-liked officers.

Kotowski, who is the former head of the police officers' union, was promoted by Riley to Sergeant and will now head one of the three crime districts.

Sgt. Kathleen Stanford and Lt. John Rooney have been removed from their high-profile positions as departmental supervisors of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

Riley says he made the move after Stanford and Rooney requested to be reassigned.

Sgt. Richard W. Mederos, who formerly worked under Stanford and Rooney, was recently promoted to Sergeant and appointed the new supervisor of the CID.

Riley has focused his efforts since January on reshuffling the HUPD and setting out his crime prevention strategy.

In the months that follow, Riley's plans will be cemented and he can refocus on his primary task--stopping crime.Crimson File Photo