The SUNY New Paltz University Police Department (UPD) is committed to serving the campus community and contribute to a campus culture that is free of racism and discrimination of any kind. We stand against racism, and we are committed to fair and equitable policing.
We do not tolerate acts of racial violence or oppression in our department or our community. UPD officers, like all SUNY New Paltz employees, must maintain an environment free from harassment, discrimination and sexual harassment. We will not tolerate discrimination of any kind in our ranks and will take appropriate actions for violations of these policies.
Our work goes beyond the enforcement of policies. The mission of the University Police Department is to create and maintain a safe and secure environment that is conducive to the educational mission of the college. There is no place for hate or racism in this mission. Among our department’s guiding principles are:
- Respect: Every individual will be treated with respect regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, gender, gender identity or socio-economic status; and
- Diversity: We recognize and appreciate the values each individual brings to the campus.
We live these words through our actions. As police officers, with inherent authority in our interactions with the community we are sworn to protect, we must hold ourselves to higher standards. We acknowledge that words alone will not solve the problem of racism in this country, but we are committed to doing our part of the work. The University Police Department will continue to:
- Commit to ongoing community conversations that bring about transparency and thought-provoking dialogue to better understand what we need to do and how the community can move forward together;
- Train our members on topics that include implicit bias and de-escalation to ensure that we support a system that guarantees equal justice under the law for every member of the campus community;
- Review thoroughly our policies and procedures to ensure they support an anti-racist culture;
- Attract, hire, and retain only the best police candidates to serve our campus community; and
- Ensure that all officers are held accountable to these values.
A third guiding principle of UPD is education. Every interaction UPD has is an educational opportunity for our officers and our community members. As police officers and educators, UPD will work alongside the campus community to build an anti-racist campus culture.
