Inside WSUPD: student relations and diversity

Wayne State University Police Department and students have come forward to address how Wayne State’s police operate and regard race.

Populations have become increasingly conscientious and critical of their relationships with police forces. Alondra Robles, social work sophomore, called WSUPD after being robbed and found them unhelpful.

“I was immediately accused of filing a false police report. I was threatened with getting kicked out of school. I was also told that if found guilty, I would spend time in jail,” said Robles.

According to Robles, she was treated unfairly because of her race and her experience with CAPS. She said she was asked if she was Cambodian, and after clarifying she was Mexican, officers assumed drugs were involved.

After informing the officers that her robber was African-American, Robles said the following suggestion was made: “Maybe you should hang out with your own people.”

“Not only that, but they went as far as accusing me of being mentally unstable,” said Robles. “They even called my ex-boyfriend and asked him if I was mentally stable. They asked if I was going to CAPS, to which I replied no. After my response, one of the police officers said, ‘maybe you should.’”

Robles said racial profiling has always been a concern for her, but she never experienced it before this incident.

“As a Mexican-American, I watched many people in my family get arrested and stopped at airports for no reason at all, so I grew up without trust in the police force,” said Robles. “This is something I am more concerned about after the incident. I don’t want anything to do with the police.”

Robles was advised to drop the charges so that her troubles would end, but she said she didn’t want WSUPD to think she had lied.

“I would like WSUPD to focus on the incidents reported and not accusing the person who has reported the incident. They can also properly train their policemen and women, maybe teach them more about culture in order to prevent this from happening in the future,” said Robles. “Even though I had a bad experience, there was one officer who treated me kindly and made me feel comfortable. Officer Colbert immediately took action and made sure I was okay.”

On the other hand, other WSU students are satisfied with how their incidents have been dealt with and do not see racial profiling as a concern on campus.

Surgical Nursing freshman student Deja Ellis suffers from severe panic and anxiety attacks. She said one day, an anxiety attack occurred while she was walking to class and the police stayed with her until the ambulance came.

“They were really nice. They kept me hydrated, got me lots of water and kind of tried to talk to me and calm me down,” said Ellis. “They just kept everything steady until the ambulance got there.”

Ellis said that WSUPD made her feel safe.

Alvin Lebray, freshman marketing and global supply chain major, said WSUPD made sure incoming students living at the Hotel St. Regis were aware of their services.

“I actually like WSUPD,” said Lebray. “They told us, 'if you guys ever feel unsafe, call us, we’ll give you guys an escort somewhere. If you’re lost downtown, call us and we’ll make sure you’re okay.'”

Lebray said that as a person of color, he is very cognizant of current social realities and he knows a lot of people that have been profiled based on how they look.

“I know that really bad stuff has happened, but I won’t really know how to feel about it until it happens to me,” said Lebray. “I wouldn’t really know how to react to it unless I experience it myself.”

Lebray said he has never had to contact WSUPD himself and he said he doesn’t know much about how they operate aside from knowing he can call them.

Chief of Police Anthony Holt said there are policies and procedures in place that prevent racial profiling from happening.

“Everything starts at the top,” said Holt. “We don’t put officers in a position where they have to do things by themselves, it’s a team operation. If we get a complaint, we investigate it very thoroughly.”

In order for someone to become a WSU police officer, they must have a four-year college degree from an accredited university, complete the necessary procedures on the online application and score sufficiently on the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards test – a prequalified reading, writing, and physical agility test.

“It’s [MCOLES] is nothing too strenuous, but it’s meant to weed through unnecessary applicants,” said Holt.

Applicants are then vetted by a panel, including Holt and two officials from his department. Holt said they look for diverse officers who are very motivated and can easily change gears throughout the day.

“We want someone who will treat everybody with the same level of concern, and treat people like customers,” said Holt. “I would like students to think of the police department as a service organization. We’re here to service the population.”

Holt said WSUPD works very closely with the Detroit Police Department. Every WSUPD officer is sworn in as a Detroit Police officer with city-wide jurisdiction after graduating from the police academy and completing WSUPD’s in-house training program.

In acknowledgement of WSU’s student population, Holt said that diversity within the ranks of WSUPD is crucial because you have to reflect the population that you serve.

“We want you to walk to Midtown and we want you to go to places, but if you have any concerns, you need to call us,” said Hold. “If you’re at a Starbucks at night and you need a safe walk to your dorm, call us. If you’re in a building and you’re feeling uncomfortable, please let us know. If we don’t know, we cannot respond to it.”

For more information, contact Aleanna Siacon at aleanna.siacon@wayne.edu. Follow her on Twitter: @AleannaSiacon