Less than a year after it was formed, the Northeastern University Police Department Advisory Board has helped to establish greater transparency and opened up access to policing on campus. And, board members say, they’re just getting started.
In the fall, in close cooperation with the advisory board, the NUPD created a new feedback system to handle complaints, commendations, and requests for information. The system was designed to make the flow of communication more accessible for community members. This month, the department started making publicly available data related to use of force, arrests, and complaints—all as a direct result of collaboration with the advisory board.
“Having worked in a large municipality, a midsize municipality, and now a university, I can say that what we’re doing here is a great example of what can happen within a police department,” says Michael Davis, chief of the NUPD. “The degree to which people are able to participate constructively makes this whole process, and makes us, better.”
