The UMass Amherst Police Department (UMPD) is committed to accountability and transparency. This website keeps you informed on how our officers are trained, shows how complaints are handled and highlights how UMPD is committed to de-escalation when it comes to use of force. UMPD is committed to identifying and eliminating any instances of bias based policing. We hope our community members who we protect and serve, see that UMPD not only strives to police in a fair and equal manner - but acknowledges that your voices do not go unheard.
We are Listening
Recent events turned a national spotlight on policing, specifically the policing of under-represented and marginalized groups. UMPD was not exempt from that spotlight. We work in close partnership with the Dean of Students Office, Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success, Environmental Health & Safety, the Center for Women and Community and many other on-campus agencies. We listen and engage with the Office of Equity and Inclusion and all community members to ensure questions are answered and concerns addressed, the UMass Police Department's Community Police Advisory Board is one of the conduits to answer questions. The Community Police Advisory Board consists of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff and makes recommendations on safety, policing matters and improving police/community communications.
University Demographics
| Race | Students |
|---|---|
| White | 14,726 |
| Asian | 2,386 |
| Black | 1,133 |
| Hispanic | 1,625 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 28 |
| Native Hawaiin/Pacific Islander | 15 |
| 2 or more races | 795 |
| Total | 20,708 |
| Race | Students |
|---|---|
| White | 3,428 |
| Asian | 494 |
| Black | 331 |
| Hispanic | 404 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 9 |
| Native Hawaiin/Pacific Islander | 4 |
| 2 or more races | 127 |
| Total | 4,797 |
| Race | Faculty |
|---|---|
| White | 1,256 |
| Asian | 201 |
| Black | 69 |
| Hispanic | 58 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 5 |
| 2 or more races | 24 |
| International | 97 |
| Non-reporting | 50 |
| Total | 1,760 |
| Race | Staff |
|---|---|
| White | 4,763 |
| Asian | 754 |
| Black | 320 |
| Hispanic | 335 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 29 |
| Native Hawaiin/Pacific Islander | 3 |
| 2 or more races | 70 |
| Total | 6,274 |
Traffic Citations Issued
* In-car audio/video recording devices are used within the UMass Amherst Police Department patrol vehicles. During motor vehicle stops in car video is activated with the use of overhead lights. Information collected through this technology can be used in criminal investigations and investigating complaints filed by the public to determine the accuracy of what occurred.
2019 Traffic Citations
| Race | Citations |
|---|---|
| White Male | 251 |
| Black Male | 30 |
| Hispanic Male | 24 |
| Other Male | 76 |
| White Female | 150 |
| Black Female | 9 |
| Hispanic Female | 8 |
| Other Female | 26 |
| Total | 574 |
Traffic Warnings Issued
* In-car audio/video recording devices are used within the UMass Amherst Police Department patrol vehicles. During motor vehicle stops in car video is activated with the use of overhead lights. Information collected through this technology can be used in criminal investigations and investigating complaints filed by the public to determine the accuracy of what occurred.
2019 Warnings Issued
| Race | Warnings |
|---|---|
| White Male | 495 |
| Black Male | 50 |
| Hispanic Male | 29 |
| Other Male | 112 |
| White Female | 349 |
| Black Female | 21 |
| Hispanic Female | 15 |
| Other Female | 37 |
| Total | 1108 |
Arrest and Use of Force
The UMass Amherst Police Departments objective with use of force is to maintain and/or reestablish control over a situation. The degree of force used is dependent upon the amount of resistance or threat to the safety of the public or the police officer. Control is reached when a person complies with the officer’s demands or the person is restrained or apprehended. The officer must be prepared to utilize the force options that are reasonable for the lawful objectives and must be aware of the possibility of force de-escalation when appropriate.
A law enforcement officer may not use a chokehold or other action that involves the placement of any part of a law enforcement officer’s body on or around a person’s neck in a manner that limits the person’s breathing or blood flow.
UMass Amherst Police Officers shall have an affirmative duty to intervene should they observe a situation in which they perceive more than the necessary use of force, including deadly force, beyond that which is necessary or objectively reasonable based on the totality of the circumstances.
Any harassment, intimidation, or retaliation against any officer who either intervened to prevent or stop an excessive force incident, or made a report regarding the witnessed excessive force incident, shall be a violation of the department’s Use of Force policy and shall, upon a sustained internal administrative investigation, be subjected to the imposition of departmental discipline up to and including termination.
* For the following data, a Custodial Arrest is an incident where the individual was placed in handcuffs, taken into custody, and charged with a crime. This does not include criminal summons, or protective custody.
| Use Of Force by Type 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Type of Force | Total |
| No Force Needed | 198 |
| Firearm Discharge | 0 |
| Firearm Display | 0 |
| Baton | 0 |
| K-9 | 0 |
| Chemical/OC | 0 |
| Weaponless | 9 |
| Totals | 207 |
| * Chart Inlcudes P.C. |
| Custodial Arrest by Race/Sex 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Race | Arrests |
| White Male | 72 |
| White female | 3 |
| Black Male | 7 |
| Black Female | 0 |
| Hispanic Male | 9 |
| Hispanic Female | 1 |
| Other Male | 10 |
| Other female | 4 |
| Total | 106 |
| Summons Arrest by Race/Sex 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Race | Arrests |
| White Male | 159 |
| White Female | 42 |
| Black Male | 11 |
| Black Female | 6 |
| Hispanic Male | 17 |
| Hispanic Female | 5 |
| Other Male | 25 |
| Other Female | 8 |
| Total | 273 |
| Protective Custody by Race/Sex 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Race | Total Custodies |
| White Male | 46 |
| White female | 34 |
| Black Male | 6 |
| Black Female | 1 |
| Hispanic Male | 8 |
| Hispanic Female | 0 |
| Other Male | 5 |
| Other female | 9 |
| Total | 109 |
Citizen Complaints
UMPD Complaints and Commendations
UMPD takes its service to the public very seriously. If you believe an Officer has acted inappropriately we would like to know. At the same time, we also know that many times our Officers go out of their way to provide a high level of service. With both of these in mind, we have placed both our Citizen Complaint Form and our Officer Commendation Form online in the event you feel they are warranted.
In 2019, UMPD received one external citizen complaint and one internal directed citizen complaint. We had ten other Supervisory Actions(SA), these are concerns brought forward from the public about the actions of our officers. These do not rise to the level of an Internal Investigation. An SA classification is used for conduct that, while may be incorrect, does not rise to requiring discipline and may best be addressed with training and counseling. Examples of this include: minor rudeness, minor traffic and parking infractions, and miscommunication. Allegations of excessive force, biased policing, and criminal behavior shall not be classified as SA. An internal affairs investigation is made when a full investigation is warranted.
| External/Citizen Complaint | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Citizen Complaint | 1 |
| Sustained | 0 |
| Not Sustained | 0 |
| Unfounded | 0 |
| Exonerated | 1 |
| Internal/Directed Complaint | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Directed Complaint | 1 |
| Sustained | 0 |
| Not Sustained | 1 |
| Unfounded | 0 |
| Exonerated | 0 |
Officer-Involved Shootings
UMPD's current records system has been in place since the mid-90's and in that time frame there have been no officer-involved shootings. Beyond our records system we are unaware of any officer-involved shootings in UMPD's history.
Training
The UMass Amherst Police Department trains throughout the year, maintaining The Municipal Police Training committee and state accreditation standards. In addition to mandatory annual training, officers of The UMPD receive specialized and advanced training in many important topic areas. Our annual training includes but is not limited to:
- Use of Force
- Communication and De-escalation
- Firearms qualification (biannual)
- Fair and impartial policing
- Legal update
- Judgmental shooting
- Active Threat training
- Mental health issues, and
- First Responder/CPR
