Amid nationwide protests and calls for systemic change over the police killings of Black civilians, Black Emory students and organizations have denounced the Emory Police Department (EPD), demanding the University disarm and defund EPD.
When Emory Police Chief Rus Drew came to Emory in 2016, he told the Wheel that EPD must be proactive in addressing race relations and building trust on campus. Four years later, many students, namely Black students, still do not feel safe in their presence.
“They remind me of when I’m back at home in my community. It just reminds me of surveillance … their presence can just be unsettling,” Emory NAACP President Zakiya Collier (21C) said. “It just reminds me of that when I see them because I can’t divorce the two entities.”
In nine demands addressed to the University, a coalition of Black student organizations insisted that Emory “take immediate actions” to disarm and defund EPD and reallocate funding toward “equipped crises-prepared professionals.”
At a June 11 virtual student discussion about police brutality, Black Student Alliance (BSA) Vice President Kyle Truevillian (22C) explained the arguments behind efforts to disarm campus police.
“There’s no reason for these police to be militarized — them having guns,” Truevillian said. “We are all unarmed students … we do not pose a threat to society. I should not have to be questioned if I’m on campus if I’m a little bit darker than other people.”
The demands reflect what some Black students believe is a strained relationship with EPD. Emory NAACP Political Action Committee Chair Ronald Poole (23C) said he believes Black students at Emory are disproportionately profiled and surveilled by the police, noting that he thinks EPD’s presence has disrupted normal learning and residential environments.
Young Democrats of Emory Vice President Eden Yonas (22C) said at the virtual student discussion that it’s difficult to tell if Black students are disproportionately profiled or abused as there is not enough public data on EPD’s conduct toward People of Color. She also noted that Black students’ previous experiences with police justify their general fear of EPD, even if they have not had any direct encounters with EPD officers.
In accordance with the Clery Act, a federal regulation requiring the disclosure of information about campus security, the University must keep records of all crimes reported to EPD in the past 60 days and publish a yearly report on crime statistics. However, there is no public information available on the number of EPD stops, use of force statistics, internal policies or other policing data and EPD is not subject to the Georgia Open Records Act.
In response to an interview request regarding hiring practices and training, Vice President of Academic Communications Nancy Seideman wrote in a June 16 email that prior to joining, all prospective officers complete a psychological exam to evaluate the candidate’s bias.
Officers participate in ongoing implicit bias training and training in de-escalation tactics and EPD officers completed twice the number of training hours required in 2019, she wrote. Seideman did not respond to further questions about use of force statistics, chokehold policies or a request for interview by press time.
Within the past year, EPD officers have engaged in tactics such as alleged racial profiling that have drawn public criticism.
In July 2019, Dennis McKinley, owner of The Original Hot Dog Factory in Atlanta, wrote in an Instagram post that while he was at Emory University Hospital for a doctor’s appointment, he was detained by EPD Officer Beth White, who falsely accused him of stealing a sandwich at the hospital cafeteria.
“There were a number of easy resolutions that could have deescalated the unnecessary racial profiling and my detention by this officer,” McKinley wrote. “Instead, this Emory police officer chose to abuse her power.”
McKinley’s lawyer, Michael Sterling, told the Wheel in a June 16 email that he couldn’t discuss the incident because there is a “confidential settlement in place.” Officer White did not respond to the Wheel’s request for an interview.
In November 2019, the police force hosted a mock “Nerf gun fight,” which received considerable censure from students of color for its insensitivity.
“I think it was completely tone deaf,” BSA President Amon Pierson (22C) said of the mock gun fight. “I don’t know what they were thinking inviting a campus to a Nerf gun fight where Black and Brown people are gunned down by police every day.”
The enumerated demands also stipulate that the University evaluate the impact that EPD and the Atlanta Police Department exert on Emory’s learning and residential environments, based on the results of a forthcoming student survey created by Emory NAACP.
Another list of demands penned by a group of student social justice organizations also asks the University to “implement more rigorous implicit bias training” for EPD officers, provide more public data on the use of force by officers and create more methods for community members to report instances of unjust policing.
Eight days after Floyd’s death, Drew wrote a message to the Emory community, stating EPD is “appalled” by the actions of the Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd’s killing. He said EPD’s “legitimacy and effectiveness” depends on maintaining community trust.
Drew encouraged community members to meet with the Emory Police Council for Community Engagement, a 24-member group composed of students, faculty and staff that meets once a semester to provide feedback to EPD on community relations and safety issues.
Emory College Republicans President Jasmine Jaffe (22C) disagreed with calls to abolish EPD or police departments generally, arguing that they provide safety against people who aim to do harm.
“Abolishing Emory PD does a lot more harm than good to our Atlanta community than it does to our campus,” Jaffe said. “I don’t see that reform solving anything other than hurting our community.”
Pierson said that although his view of EPD may differ from other Black students on campus, he has never felt comfortable with the private police force.
“I’ve always been scared of Emory PD. They are not a source of safety for me. It’s not something I look to if something goes wrong,” he said. “My hesitations with them happen all the time, especially with them having such a presence on campus.”
Former Editor-in-Chief | Isaiah Poritz (he/him) (21C) is from Salt Lake City, Utah, and majored in political science.
This article is very upsetting. I worked as an Emory Police Officer for almost four years. The Emory Police really care about the community and treating people fairly. The Emory Police provide amazing customer service. I worked for a county agency for 7 years. I have been a supervisor, and am a police instructor. Please appreciate what The Emory Police provide for you, because if a municipality takes over, some of your feelings are going to be very hurt when you call the police because you locked your keys in the car, forgot your backpack somewhere, or need some other service only Emory PD provides. These Officers really do care about everyone’s safety. I would recommend looking at the demographics of the department. If you feel unsafe around the Emory Police, it’s because you are focused in on issues that occur at other departments,. They sure don’t occur at Emory PD.
Be careful what you ask for.
As a Emory alumni and someone who is still living in metro Atlanta area, I am very grateful for the police department and their patrolling over the night. Make possible for me to go library and walk around in our beautiful neighborhood even at late night. I never felt such safety at night walking outside in Atlanta even if I later moved to GT campus or lived in luxury apartments. We shall be grateful for their hard work. And I can’t believe anyone can ask them to unarm, we all know criminals in US can be armed. How they are suppose to protect us and themselves? Why don’t you argue for the whole US to not acquire weapon? I think that’s even better.
– from a 2016 graduate
This article is very concerning to me. I was an Emory Police Officer for three years. Emory PD provides exceptional services to the community. You can’t reference a case of officer misconduct concerning EPD, because there are none. Emory PD’s training hours far exceed other departments. The caliber of Officers responding to calls for service are the best in the state. I would recommend looking at the demographics of the department. Also, Emory PD is more community driven than any other department in the area. If students don’t feel safe, that is a them issue, because they have not been treated unfairly by the Emory Police.
If you enjoy smiling faces, having your car unlocked, people investigating your lost backpacks, and impartial responses from Officers, I would change my tune. It is going to be a rude awakening for your fragile feelings when a municipality responds and tells you to pound sand. If you are being honest, this collective outrage is virtue signaling because you are seeing what is happening elsewhere. You are getting the best customer service at EPD.
Also, EPD probably has the toughest hiring standards in the state. The training exceeds any other department. I’m not talking about tactical training. I’m taking about hand holding, love your neighbor training. And guess what? They do love you, and do their best everyday to provide you with a safe community. You might want to start appreciating it.
While at Emory (C 2017) I spent 2 years as a cadet as part of my work study award while attending Oxford College. Therefore my experience pertains mainly to Oxford Campus’s department
I want to say up front that I support de-arming the EPD. I do not think that officers on campus need to be armed.
However, I would like to state that I observed nothing but utmost professionalism and high traing standards. I think that the level of training and vetting procedures should serve as a model for the rest of the state. I think that the EPD should be open to negotiations with student groups while maintaining a high safety standard. I just don’t think that patrol officers should be armed.
If the rationale for arming campus police officers involved the intention to intimidate, let alone harm, students, I would agree with you. But, had there been a hostage-at-gun point, active shooter, or similar situation at Oxford, would it have been preferable for unarmed Emory officers to rely on Oxford PD or Newton County S.O. to arrive and try to deal with the situation? Wasn’t Columbine where we all learned that “contain, and wait for SWAT” almost guarantees additional deaths? Wasn’t the high school in Parkland, FL an example of what happens when the officer at the scene is unwilling (let alone unable) to engage a gunman? It was before your time, but Emory’s main campus was the site of murder (in a parking deck) and a gun-to-the-head abduction (from a sorority house). There also were armed robberies, and during a commencement speech by a high profile speaker (identified as a potential target for assassination), a loaded handgun was found in the grass, a couple of feet from where the procession had passed, and a gun was spotted under the coat of a man seated in the audience. No Emory PD officer over or under reacted, no one was injured to threatened, and the individuals responsible for the weapons were identified. I would not have wished have had the Atlanta Police Department in charge. I had the opportunity to observe both their dignitary protection people and EPD’s and there was no comparison in terms of training, discipline, and professionalism. Unless a LOT has changed, the emphasis at EPD is on preservation of life and avoiding unnecessary, potentially deadly confrontations. Believer it or not, that is an aberration within law enforcement circles, wherein the emphasis typically is on justification for shooting, which is a very low bar, given current law.
Are all commented being displayed? I wrote something to support and express my gratefulness to Emory PD, and it is not showing.
I am a 2016 alumni not from Emory PD.
While I find it endearing, that people are taking the time to lay out how safe they felt/feel with Emory PD. This article is stating “many students, namely Black students, still do not feel safe in their presence.” and that “some Black students believe is a strained relationship with EPD. Emory NAACP Political Action Committee Chair Ronald Poole (23C) said he believes Black students at Emory are disproportionately profiled and surveilled by the police, noting that he thinks EPD’s presence has disrupted normal learning and residential environments.”
While I am really happy that you all feel safe, grateful, and “concerned” – what about those students? I don’t think there is a simple answer, but I DO think that this is about the students being allowed to raise concerns. This isn’t personal, and some of these responses are coming off a bit emotional. Let them share and then appropriately engage in dialog about potential next steps.
Although I have not been affiliated with EPD for a very long time, I can say that “back in the old days” black students were fully justified in believing that EPD profiled black males, looked the other way in regard to transgressions by white students, etc. HOWEVER, I hasten to add that, while there may well have been individual officers who targeted black people (but, in the one or two cases that came to my attention, thei fellow officers already had told them they were ignorant a-holes, and needed to look for work elsewhere), the greater problem was that the administration sometimes required the police department to take the hit policies and practices that members of the police department– from the chief down to most patrol officers– disliked or abhorred. The attitude seemed to be, “Let the cops be perceived as racist– people expect them to be.”
For example, we were expected to respond when when a student (or staff member, but it usually would be a white student) called about a “suspicious person.” Not that callers typically could describe behavior that was suspicious. Instead, it was the PERSON who seemed suspicious. “Doesn’t look like an Emory student.” Apparently, Morehouse and Clark-AU students looked different than Emory students. You get the idea. So, while we expected our officers to be courteous and non-accusatory in those situations, the people they stopped and identified, and whoever had invited them to visit, had ever reason to assume that the police officer had seen a black male, then homed in like a guided missile.
At first, we required officers to explain that they were responding to call, to apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment, etc., and then wish a pleasant evening, or whatever. Then it sank it that (took a lot longer than it should have) that we simply should cease to approach anyone whose behavior didn’t give rise to concern, no matter how nervous the caller may have sounded. Drive by or stroll though the general area, but try to avoid causing the person to feel he’s under surveillance. No ideal, but better. And to hell if anyone complained (they often would be watching from their dorm window) that we weren’t doing our jobs the way they thought we should.
A few months later, when asked a direct question by an African-American student, about profiling black males, I explained that we had, in the past, responded to “suspicious person” calls in a manner typical for most police departments, telling ourselves that the racial bias was on the part of the caller, and that we had no choice. But we then faced up to the fact that we did have a choice, and that we new what the right choice was, and that we had ceased to allow ourselves to be the instruments of other people’s prejudices.
Than answer resulted in my being summoned to the officer of the Executive Vice President, who told me, in no uncertain terms, that I should never again attempt to place the police department in a better light by suggesting that some of Emory’s white students were racists. Facts were not deemed relevant to the discussion.
While he was at it, he also castigated me for revealing that the reason police officers seemed to ignore widespread underage drinking on Fraternity Row (now Eagle Row?) was that we had been directed to do just that– ignore the violations of both the law and Emory’s written policy. The reason/context for my offering the explanation was my participation is a series of meeting/discussions involving race and racism at Emory, which had been billed as occasion for frank and heartfelt discussion (yeah, SURE!). It had been pointed out that, though our officers ignored widespread and sometimes raucous drinking on the Row, we had, on more than one occasion, shown up a traditionally black fraternity, in regard to excessive noise. In response, I explained that we responded to noise complaints on the Row, as well, and had occasionally issued citations (to the county court, not to a university committee or counsel), but that I, and everyone else in the police department, could readily understand why we were seen as applying a double standard. I then explained the restrictions that had been place on us, which, prior to this forum, we had not been allowed to reveal.
In his concluding remarks, one of the students coordinating the forum (a black student who worked in Equal Opportunity Office) made a point to saying how good it was that we had clarified some longstanding misconceptions, and, if I recall correctly, added something that I’d left out (hadn’t come up)– that the police department had lobbied the administration to issue standards pertaining to prosecutions for theft, etc. (where the University was the victim) because we, the police, were concerned that the pattern of past decisions by deans, department heads, etc. suggested considerations of race and class. There actually was some applause– for the POLICE DEPARTMENT, as a force for (at least a little) social justice!
You might have thought the administration would have regarded that as a good thing. Instead, I there was a brief period when I wasn’t sure I’d be allowed to keep my job.
Moral to the story– the University has, at least at times in the past, been eager to scapegoat the police department, rather than allow itself or students to be placed in a bad light. Whether that’s still a phenomenon, or whether some current officers are badge heavy or indifferent, I can’t say.