UMPD Community Outreach

The Citizens Police Academy is free of charge and open to any UMass community member or their immediate family members.  It is designed to be a fun and informative atmosphere.  Discussion and participation are encouraged.

Program Dates and Description

The Citizens Police Academy is an 11-week course that is offered once during the Spring semester, and once during the Fall semester.  Classes typically meet one evening a week for 3 hours.  Some of the topics covered are:

• Criminal and constitutional law
• Motor vehicle laws and traffic stops
• Alcohol and drug issues
• Police use of force
• Firearms safety
• Forensic sciences

Many sessions begin with classroom discussion about one or more subjects, and then transition into more dynamic, hands-on learning.  Participants have the opportunity to try out some of our equipment, engage in 'You be the officer' scenario training, and view demonstrations from our specialized units. 

Email Lieutenant James Sullivan at @email for more information.

How To Apply

Complete the Citizens Police Academy Application.  You may submit your completed application form by fax, mail, or in person at the UMass police station.  The application form can also be submitted via email.

*You must be at least 18 years of age to apply.  Applicants undergo a basic background check prior to acceptance into the CPA, however prior criminal records are not automatic disqualifiers.  Any false or misleading statements will be cause for refusal of admittance, and acceptance into the program is at the sole discretion of the UMass Police Department.  The CPA is an informal way to learn about law enforcement, and NO police powers will be expressed or implied at the completion of the course.

The Adventure Ropes Challenge Course is a series of high and low ropes exercises designed to test a group’s teamwork as well as develop self-confidence and leadership. The course is offered - upon request - to all ages and is conducted by UMPD and the Amherst Police Department. Read more in our Ropes Brochure.

How To Apply

First, determine if you are interested in a half-day or full day curriculum. The half day curriculum is low ropes based and is focused on teamwork and problem solving, with an emphasis on leadership and communication. Half-days are generally scheduled as either morning (9am-noon) or afternoon (noon - 3pm) sessions. Full days are run from 9am -3pm and will include a low ropes morning and then a transition to high ropes after lunch. The course runs throughout the year for various groups upon request and is held at the Notch Visitors Center in South Amherst. Instructors are officers from UMPD and the Amherst Police Department who are certified and received training at the High Five Adventure Learning Center in Brattleboro, Vermont.

The Ropes Adventure Course is Personalized for your Group

The curriculum is built around your group's goals whether the focus is on teamwork, confidence building, problem-solving or all three. Following are a few of our past Ropes Adventure Course groups: 

• Amherst College Athletics Women's Softball Team
• Delta Upsilon Fraternity
• New Student Orientation Staff
• UMass Men's Basketball
• UMass Men's Hockey
• UMass Women's Tennis Team

*NEW*-Initiative-Based Leadership and Teambuilding Sessions

As an extension of the work we do with leadership and teambuilding on our Adventure Ropes Course UMPD has added this new option. These 1-2 hour long sessions are designed to bring groups closer together with classroom style initiatives. These sessions will be taught by UMPD’s trained instructors and will guide groups through initiatives designed to develop participant communication, to understand and enhance leadership skills, and help participants understand the importance of perspective when working in groups. Instructors can work with group leaders to determine the best exercises based on the overall goals of the group. 

Program Goals

We are committed to our communities, and to the benefits of the community policing philosophy. The Adventure Ropes Challenge Course builds bridges with the communities we serve. The challenge course allows you to view officers as teachers, mentors and team members, and it allows us to interact with you in a team-building environment.

Contact Us

For more information or to set up a session/training contact Officer Brian Kellogg in Community Outreach at @email.

A high priority for the UMPD is to make the campus a place where students can move about with a sense of safety. We achieve this by maintaining a well-lit campus, placing security cameras at residence hall doorways and help phones throughout campus, and operating a nightly walking escort service. The entire campus community helps with these priorities through an annual program called the Walk for Light.

Walk for Light is a comprehensive campus safety check in which students, staff, and faculty spread across the campus to report any safety concerns they see along the way. It's conducted by the UMPD in conjunction with the Physical Plant, Housing and Residence Life, Student Affairs and Campus Life, and the Student Government Association (SGA).

As the Walk for Light illustrates, crime prevention on the UMass Amherst campus requires the cooperation of the entire campus community. Students, faculty, and staff must work together with police by staying alert, paying attention to your surroundings, taking precautions, watching out for friends (and your own) safety, and reporting any suspicious or unusual behavior to security or police.

No sign-up is required. Just show up.

The Youth Adventure Academy is for students entering 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Space is limited to 20. Preference is given to Amherst residents and to youth who have an affiliation to UMass Amherst. Affiliations include youth whose parents or guardians are employees or students at UMass Amherst.

Program Schedule and Description

The Youth Adventure Academy is offered every summer by UMPD and the Amherst Police Department.  The Academy is an innovative and effective program for the young people in our community. It's designed to establish a positive relationship between the Amherst Police, UMass Amherst Police, and the youth in our community.

Academy counselors are Amherst and UMPD Police Officers.  Lunch is provided each day at the UMass Dining Common and every participant receives a t-shirt. The Academy is intended to:

• Enhance responsible citizenship
• Provide positive interaction with police officers
• Educate young people about the challenges and responsibilities of police work
• Participate in team-building activities at our Adventure Ropes Course located at the summit of the Norwottuck range

The Amherst and UMass Police Youth Adventure Academy will provide those participating with lunch each day at the UMass Dining Common. All students will need to have transportation to the UMass Police Department each morning for a 8:30AM start (not earlier!), and picked up each afternoon from the UMass Police Department promptly by 4:00PM.

Questions regarding the Youth Adventure Academy can be forwarded to Amherst Officer Yvonne Feliciano at 413-259-3311.  You can also contact UMass Officer Brian Kellogg  at 413-545-9461.   

File an application online here.

Location

Students will attend morning classroom sessions with lectures, role-plays, and interactive demonstrations by police officers of the Amherst and UMass Police Departments in the areas of law, crime scene, defensive tactics, patrol procedures, and internet safety to name just a few. These classes will be held at both the Amherst and UMass Police Departments. Most afternoon sessions will be held at our Adventure Based Ropes Course at the Norwottuck Range where we will promote teamwork, communication, and offer opportunities to develop positive relationships with police officers.

he CDC reports that motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. Many of these injuries can be prevented by placing children in properly installed car seats or boosters. UMPD has trained officers, through the Safekids organization, as Child Passenger Safety (CPS) car seat technicians.

Installation Process

1. Make an appointment with one of our CPS officers by filling out a Car Seat Installation Request. Once we recieve your request we will reach out to you to make an appintment. 
2. Bring your vehicle and the seat to be installed to your appointment.
3. The service is free.
4. Safety Seats are sometimes available via a grant for those having financial difficulties, fill out the Car Seat Installation Request for availability.

Child Safety Seat Inspection

If your safety seat is already installed but you would like it checked, please fill out a Car Seat Installation Request to make an appointment with one of our CPS trained officers.

Questions?

Email @email. For more information on how to keep your children safe visit Safe Kids USA.

Learn These Simple Steps to Save A Life. 

According to a recent National Academies of Science study, trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans under age 46. These injuries can result from a workplace injury, vehicle crash, active threat event etc. In incidents of serious trauma (bleeding), whether someone will survive that incident or not is typically decided within the first few mimutes. Life-threatening injuries require immediate action to prevent an injured person from dying. Those nearest to someone with life-threatening injuries are best positioned to provide that crucial care. Do you know how to provide immediate care? 

• Call 911 or Have Someone Call 911
• Keep Yourself Safe (if you become injured you cannot help the victim).
• Look for Life Threatening Bleeding (look everywhere, remove clothing if necessary to expose a wound that could possibly be hidden).
• Stop The bleed! (apply direct pressure, apply a touniquet, use a hemostatic dressing). 
• Provide Comfort

UMPD teaches Stop the Bleed (www.stopthebleed.org), a simple 1-hour program designed to educate you in how to render aid in a traumatic event. If you have a group of 8 or more and would be like to schedule one of these trainings, contact Officer Brian Kellogg via email at @email.

The UMPD Community Outreach Unit offers presentations on the topic of self-defense.  We will discuss the law as it pertains to self-defense, and then cover risk awareness, risk recognition, risk reduction, and risk avoidance; the class typically ends with the teaching of some basic self-defense techniques.  This class is primarily based on the defense of rape and sexual assault; it is a popular class for dorm talks or groups just looking to raise awareness on the topic.

RAs, group coordinators, or any group of at least 10 participants can schedule this class.  If you are interested in scheduling this class or would like more information, please contact Ofc. Brian Kellogg of the Community Outreach Unit at bkellogg@umass.edu.

UMPD officers with various disciplines in self-defense have come together to create a basic program for all levels of experience.  Any student or employee of the University is eligible to participate.  Classes will be held at the Recreation Center in the evenings and last approximately one hour.  Each class will focus on different techniques allowing a participant to learn skills that can assist them if found in a precarious situation.  No equipment is needed, the classes will be offered in an ‘ala carte’ format, and we encourage interested students to register soon as space is very limited in this dynamic program.  For more information, head to our page at https://www.umass.edu/police/self-defense-program, or contact Officer Liana Varosky at @email. 

Police Officer Brian Kellogg
@email
(413) 545-0196

Police Officer Liana Varosky
@email
(413) 545-2121

While much has been focused on shooting incidents, threats to your physical safety come in many forms. It is an unfortunate reality that we must even consider the possibility. Individuals may be armed with firearms, knives, or personal weapons. Other individuals may verbally threaten violence or be in mental health crisis. The term "Active Threat" is used to describe the threat as immediate and ongoing. These situations evolve quickly and require immediate action on your part.

Pre-planning for such an incident will be your best chance for surviving an active threat/active shooter incident. Know your escape routes, know how you will respond, and prepare yourself to actively fight the attacker as a last resort. Education and training cannot cover every possible situation that might occur, but it is a tool that can help reduce the number or injuries and deaths if put into action as soon as a situation develops. Preparing early so that your react quickly is the most important factor in the optimal management of these types of situations.

In addition to reading the procedures below, you are encouraged to watch this video that presents information on how to respond to an active shooter situation. 

Note: The above video contains violent content to educate and prepare someone to deal with an active aggressor.  Viewer discretion is advised.

Run, Hide, Fight!

In some emergency situations you may have time to stop, deliberate, and decide on the next course of action. That is not always the case though, in stressful situations that pose a risk to your personal safety you may not have the time to think. The ability to react and take decisive action may play a role in whether you emerge from the situation safely. Your chances of making  quick and effective decisions will be greatly increased if you have thought about your options, and prepared yourself to take action before an incident actually occurs. Below we have listed some options as well as some bullet points to help you plan, and prepare for a possible emergency.

Run/Avoid 

Can you escape safely?

• Learn your exits beforehand. Learning where they are and where they go will put you a step ahead if you need to escape.
• Where will you go once you escape? Distance and cover are your friends, get as far away as you can, and put objects between you and the incident.
• Leave your belongings behind.
• Remember windows can be good escape options. Do they open? Can you break them?
• Help others escape, but consider if helping others is going to put you in harms way.
• Alert authorities of the situation as soon as you can do so safely.

Hide/Deny

If you can't get out safely a little pre-planning in this area will go a long way.

• Can you lock the doors?
• If the doors don't lock, is there a place nearby where you can lock the doors?
• Which way does the door open?
• Barricade the doors. Belt the closer, tie the crash bars, push objects in front of the door.
• Turn off the lights, pull the shades, silence your phone, move out of sight from the windows. Out of sight, Out of Mind!
• Remain hidden or barricaded until police arrive or "campus alerts(link here)" notify you that the situation is over "all clear".
• Alert authorities of the situation as soon as you can do so safely.

Fight

Only as a last resort!

• Be physically aggressive.
• Use improvised weapons.
• Fight with all-out commitment.
• Fight to incapacitate the threat.
• Alert authorities of the situation as soon as you can do so safely.

Alert the authorities when its safe to do so.

• 911 is the easiest number to remember, but 911 does not necessarily connect you to your local police department when dialed from a cell phone.
• We recommend you keep your local PD's phone number in your cell phone. UMPD's emergency number is 413-545-3111.
• Be prepared to give your address. If you don't know the address start with "I'm on the UMass Amherst Campus..."
• Be ready to give the physical description of the suspect, the location, and the type of weapon used.
• Are there potential victims, how many, extent of injuries.
• Remain calm, follow instructions, show your hands, don't present yourself as a potential threat to responding officers.

Campus Alerts

• Everyone should sign up for Campus Alerts in Spire. It's preferred that you sign up for text alerts as they will be the most timely.
• In most situations you should follow the advice contained within the alerts.
• Sometimes your location, and the circumstances surrounding the incident, will warrant you to take an action other than what is recommended in the alert. Remember that in situations like these...ultimately it is your safety at stake, do what is necessary to keep yourself safe.
• Regardless of your choice of action in the emergency, continue making sound decisions based on your situation until you receive the  "All Clear" message.

Prevention

We spend a lot of time discussing what to do once the incident occurs. The reality is, once the incident occurs it is too late for everyone involved. The best resolution to these situations is to try and prevent them from ever happening. In most Active Threat situations there are pre-incident indicators. In most situations a single indicator does not mean much, but when multiple indicators are present we should be taking notice.

• Family problems.
• Marital problems.
• Work place grievances.
• Recent death of loved ones.
• Serious medical prognosis for themselves or loved ones.
• Mental health problems.
• Infatuation with violence/weapons.
• A lack of remorse for actions.
• Talks about committing violence.
• The feeling that no one cares.

If you know someone that is experiencing some of these indicators, or is exhibiting behavior that is out of the ordinary be prepared to act. There are things that you can do to help someone out before they reach a level of desperation and loss of hope that could ultimately lead to an act of violence. Reactions from you can vary from just asking them if they are ok and being a friend, to notifying a boss that you've recognized a problem, all the way to notifying the police that you think violence may be imminent.  The University has created a Crisis Resource Guide to help you recognize potential problems, and help you figure out what to do next. Follow this link to see the document (hyperlink to UMass Crisis Resource guide).

Active Threat Training

UMPD Offers and Active Threat training for any group that may be interested in a more formal training. This training has been presented to thousands of Students, Faculty and Staff. It has become mandatory training for many departments on campus. Program Highlights are as follows:

• 1 1/2 hours in length.
• Defines an Active Threat.
• Learn how to develop a survival mindset.
• Gain awareness of your options in the event an "Active Threat" does occur.
• Discuss prevention options.
• Gain an on-site analysis of your work area.

If you are interested in setting up an Active Threat training, contact Officer Brian Kellogg in the Community Outreach Unit with the information provided on this page.