Community Policing

At UMPD, we believe in the philosophy of community policing, which involves working collaboratively to nurture partnerships, strengthen trust, and enrich quality of life for all members of our community. It also includes creating programs with our campus partners and community-based organizations that look at creative and innovative solutions to address community concerns, with input from the community.

Our department instills and nurtures this form of policing to all our officers, from new recruits to patrol officers to department leaders. Each officer in UMPD has an important role when it comes to community policing, and  the opportunity to make a positive difference in community members' lives.  

Community Policing Initiatives 

Community policing entails re-examining or transforming who plays an active role and what measures are taken in certain situations. This includes a reevaluation of the response to incidents, requests and calls for assistance, including  roles, responsibilities, actions and followup. UMPD, the Division of Student Affairs, and our on-campus and off-campus partners continue to enhance and expand the community policing approach.  Our current initiatives are listed below.

Mental Health Emergency Assessment and Response Team (MHEART)
The Mental Health Emergency Assessment and Response Team (MHEART) is a collaborative team of licensed mental health clinicians and University of Maryland police officers who respond to mental health crises on and around the University of Maryland, College Park campus. 

We believe involving well-trained, culturally-responsive mental health clinicians in crisis response is the most comprehensive approach to addressing mental health crises and emergencies experienced by our students. MHEART strives to place the physical and emotional safety and health of the student as its priority by providing the least invasive and most efficacious interventions. In addition, revised procedures have been implemented for managing mental health transports, to better support students and community members in crisis. 

Our MHEART program is one of the first mobile crisis co-responder programs in a university setting in the United States.

Crisis Intervention Team
The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), which includes officers and dispatchers, receives specialized training to respond to mental health crises on campus. The goal is to de-escalate situations, provide support, and connect people with the necessary resources. Collaborating with the Counseling Center, the team ensures the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, UMPD engages in proactive efforts with the Counseling Center, promoting mental health awareness and well-being within the UMD community.

All officers receive training on responding to calls when a person is experiencing a crisis. UMPD CIT officers receive additional training in the areas of:

• Understanding signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders
• Recognizing when those signs and symptoms represent a crisis situation
• Safely de-escalating people who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis
• Utilizing community resources and diversion strategies that are available to provide emergency assistance

City Multi-Agency Services Team (CMAST)
CMAST is comprised of administrators from the University, Police and Fire Department officials, City of College Park Managers and leaders, the State’s Attorney’s Office, the city Property Managers Association, city Code Enforcement, members of the University’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the University’s Office of Student Conduct.

Started in 2012, CMAST began to focus on ways to address residents’ quality of life concerns, including large house parties, liquor law violations and noise violations. Strategies include data collection related to Code Enforcement, Police, and Fire calls for service, notification to residents and property owners, “knock & talk” meetings with Code Officers, Police, and residents, and subsequent meetings between  the Assistant State’s Attorney and residents/property owners.  

CMAST’s ability to leverage resources and track recurring problems quickly has reduced the recidivism rate for properties with compliance issues and improved the quality of life for the community. CMAST meets once a month, during the academic year.

Restorative Justice  
UMPD supports the  Division of Student Affairs’ establishment of a restorative justice-based approach as an option for resolving alleged student conduct violations. As part of this approach the Department of Resident Life is incorporating restorative practices into its community building efforts and community development strategy. The Division of Student Affairs trains staff on strategies for community building as part of their restorative justice approach.

Crowd Managers for Event Security
The State Fire Marshal’s Office requires crowd managers for any event that exceeds 50 persons.  A crowd manager can be a trained University professional and does not always have to be a Police Officer. Discussions with student group advisory committees led to the expanded use of professional staff members in lieu of police officers. Some events combine professional staff members and officers to serve as the total number of crowd managers needed. UMPD’s event security guidelines can be found on our Special Events page. 

Lights On!
In 2022, UMPD became the first police department in the State of Maryland to partner with Lights On! – a community-driven program with the mission to heal relationships between communities and law enforcement agencies.

Under the program, UMPD officers on traffic stops can provide a voucher for a free repair, up to $250, on any light-related violations, on the vehicle rather than citing the driver. UMPD is pleased to partner with a local College Park business, College Park Exxon, located at 7110 Baltimore Avenue in College Park.

Public Safety and Community Policing Task Force

In 2021, University of Maryland president Darryll J. Pines “...charged a Community Policing Task Force to provide recommendations to enhance public and community policing to help move our campus toward more collaborative and trusting partnerships between our public safety officials and our university community.” 

In March 2022, President Pines outlined 21 recommendations for implementation that were outlined in the Task Force’s report. See this online dashboard for updates on the university's response to each recommendation. The dashboard includes information about the Campus Safety Advisory Council (CSAC), which advises university leadership on matters related to implementing the recommendations.