Crime’s worse enemy

Monday, September 22, 1997 Crime’s worse enemy SAFETY: Police
chief captains a ‘tight ship’ on campus

By J. Jioni Palmer

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Crime (and the fear of it). These five little letters have the
power to render citizens paralyzed, whip politicians into a frenzy
and make pundits drone on at length. Becoming UCLA’s chief of
police in 1994, Clarence Chapman is entrusted with assuaging the
concerns of campus denizens. This former L.A. Sheriff’s Department
Captain sees his role as one part law enforcement, one part
community service and one part crime prevention. The sum total
equals an effective police department.

In an interview with the Daily Bruin, Chapman discussed his
views on date and acquaintance rape, police brutality, and the
LAPD. Joining the discourse was Nancy Greenstein, the Director of
Police Community Services, who highlighted the various avenues
through which police and the campus collective can work better as
one. Together they provide an eclectic mix of tough talk and
progressive solutions.

What are the most common types of crimes committed on
campus?

Chapman: Obviously, crimes against property are most prevalent.
And I think everybody realizes that we park more vehicles at the
UCLA campus than does LAX on a daily basis. Vehicle theft and theft
from vehicles are the top crimes on campus. Property crimes also
run along that line because students carry personal items in their
backpacks throughout the day. They also become victims of theft on
the campus, particularly when school is in session.

I’m kind of glad you mentioned car thefts because it seems like
everyone has had their car stolen or vandalized or know somebody
who has. What types of steps are being taken to reduce this type of
crime?

Chapman: We are working very closely with Parking Services. Mark
Stockey, who is the director over there, has met with us and we
have put together several task forces; special operations plans to
counteract vehicle thefts and theft from vehicles. Basically, what
that entails is officers on special detail involved in surveillance
operations at the various parking facilities. We have the advantage
of compiling crime statistics from different areas and sectors on
the campus, and we can pinpoint which parking structures are giving
us any problem at any time.

There is no parking structure that I can tell you right now that
is either worse or better, but it seems to run in trends and then
we respond with additional resources provided by Parking Services
for special operations to apprehend our car thieves. We have been
very successful. We had three such operations last year and every
operation netted an arrest of car thieves. So we intend to continue
that.

Continuing along that line, what types of steps can students
take to ensure their safety?

Chapman: Well, I’d like to refer to the CSO program where we do
have the escort programs. We do have CSOs patrolling the campus.
Thus, students should be aware of the CSOs – who they are and what
their capabilities are. The CSOs do have radio contact with the
Police Department, and any problem whatsoever – be it criminal or
any other problem, they should know that CSOs can summon assistance
for them.

Obviously, the rudimentary rules are: Be aware of your
surroundings whenever you travel across campus. Try to take a
friend with you. Don’t go out late at night and if you do, please
notify the police department and we will send an escort van to take
you to and from whatever campus facility you wish to visit. Be
aware of your belongings. We have a lot of backpacks taken,
especially at the beginning of every session. Computers are very
popular on the black market, so it’s very important to be aware of
that. Lock your car. Stay in well lighted places. These are really
pretty much the basic things that seem pretty commonplace to you
and I, but I think it really plays very well to people who are not
accustomed to living in large cities.

I know the department sponsors a bike registration program, the
STOP computer identification program and does mentoring with the
University Elementary School as well as athletic mentoring. What
other types of proactive programs is the department involved
in?

Greenstein: We work with the Women’s Resource Center and we have
a number of programs, both personal safety programs but also our
protocols for rape prevention; and if a person has been raped or
there has been an attempted rape, we work really closely together
and that’s important for students to know about. They can access us
or they can access the Women’s Resource Center if they have any
concerns about date rape or just related issues.

The department’s decision to purchase two MP5 submachine guns
has caused alarm among many in the campus community. Why is this
upgrade in the department’s arsenal needed and what would they be
used for?

Chapman: Well it’s very interesting. The Bruin article ("UCPD
may add submachine guns to its armory," August 11-17, 1997) stated
that the police department may purchase MP5s. I think what the
newspaper didn’t note, is that we’ve always had them; we’ve always
had semiautomatic weapons. In fact, we’ve had them for close to 15
years. The only thing that we’re doing right now is to upgrade
equipment as every agency does periodically. Like I say, these
weapons are 15 years old, if not older, that we have right now.
Another goal that I want to accomplish was to standardize our
ammunition.

Part of the controversy surrounding the MP5 could stem from the
perception that UCPD is not a legitimate police department and is
more akin to Westec or USC’s paid security force. What is your
response to this characterization?

Chapman: Well, I’ll be very frank with you. I’m offended by
that. We are a State Police Agency. We hold the same police
authority from the government code and the penal code as LAPD
officers, sheriffs, highway patrol officers or any other
municipality; we are no different. We are not security guards. We
are bona fide, state-certified police officers, and our officers
graduate from the police academies, the sheriff’s academy just like
every other police officer in the county.

Having said that, we are also charged with the same
responsibilities for the protection of life and property within the
state of California, not just on the campus. Now obviously we keep
our patrol operations restricted to the campus, to the various
satellite housing areas, to the property entrance of the University
which are interspersed in and around the city of Los Angeles, and
here recently, as I stated before, Westwood Village.

UCPD is different from other departments in that your primary
constituency is composed of students, faculty and staff. What type
of special training do UC officers receive to equip them to deal
with this unique population?

Chapman: (For) the UC officers, there are two phases of
training. The initial phase of training comes from the
state-certified police academy. In our case, we use the L.A. County
Sheriff’s Department. When there is no vacancy we use the Orange
County Sheriff’s Department, and that lasts six months for every
officer. The second phase of training is when an officer graduates
from the certified state police academy, he is then assigned to
what we call a field training program. The field training program
generally lasts six months. It takes one full year of intensified
training to produce one UCLA police officer. It is extremely
intense – thousands of hours of instruction.

The amount of time that’s allotted in the police academy is also
six months (given to field training). So the weight there is equal,
which should show you that our value in the importance of being
indoctrinated to UCLA is just as important as teaching an officer
the laws of arrest and how to accomplish that.

Statistics show that 1 in 3 college women are likely to be
victims of sexual assault. Does UCPD have any specific programs to
combat sexual assault and dating violence?

Greenstein: That’s a little bit what we were talking about the
partnership with the Women’s Resource Center. We have self-defense
training programs. We have educational programs. We have literature
and then we just do a lot of outreach one-to-one with Women
Resource Center employees just letting students know that the
resources are here. Basically, I think you can educate a lot, but
many students feel that it’s never going to happen to them. I know
when some of the officers do their training, they look in the crowd
and say, "One of you potentially could be raped." But it’s always,
"It’s (her), not me."

So we try to let them know what the resources are so if indeed
they are ever in a situation that puts them at risk they know who
to call. That’s more important at a university than worrying about
people unknown to you raping you. It’s much more a concern of
somebody you may know – a date rape or somebody from a class. And
that’s the point that we try to educate students about and doing it
with the Women’s Resource Center, I think, makes the message a lot
more easy and understandable for women. It’s a little more security
to have a counselor from the Women’s Resource Center as well as
somebody from the police (department) and to see that we work
together.

Who would rape victims call? The Women’s Resource Center?

Greenstein: Women’s Resource Center or the police department.
Whatever is the most comfortable call for the student to make.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has reported that Rhypnol, also
known as the "date rape drug," is increasingly being used in sexual
assaults on college campuses. Has Rhypnol’s presence been felt here
at UCLA?

Chapman: No. That has not been a significant problem that we are
aware of. We do have drugs that, from time to time, we become aware
of that students do use. I can tell you right now the police
department’s going to be extremely aggressive in eradicating that
sort of behavior and substance on these grounds.

What is UCPD’s relationship like with LAPD and how do you expect
it to change under new Chief Bernard Parks?

Chapman: Our relationship with LAPD, I think, has always been
very productive and very cooperative. I know Bernie Parks. I’ve
known Bernie Parks for probably close to 15 years. I consider him a
friend of mine. I am very happy with his appointment. I can only
see the relationship with LAPD and UCPD, which is already an
excellent relationship, only getting better in this regard. I was
at Bernie’s swearing-in and was very happy for him. As soon as the
dust clears and he gets some of his preliminary administration
edicts out and his duties accomplished, I’m going to meet with him
and we’re going to begin to develop a memorandum of agreement, a
memorandum of understanding between the UCLA Police Department and
the L.A. Police Department with regard to mutual aid and to define
those kinds of situations that we, as a 60-person police
department, cannot handle.

This is what a memorandum of understanding is?

Chapman: Yes, that’s what it will dictate. Everyone on this
university will understand when LAPD will take control of any
particular incident. The 1992 Los Angeles uprising is a prime
example where we, as a 60-person police department, couldn’t stand
in defense of an entire social insurgency. Where we will need the
defense of LAPD, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and the
National Guard. So, we need to have a common understanding of when
those triggering events would cause LAPD to come in and take a
larger role on the campus.

What direction do you expect Chief Parks to take the LAPD?

Chapman: I can only go by Chief Parks’ inaugural speech and
basically his emphasis is on leadership. I think Chief Parks is
going to take that department in two directions: 1. A closer
relationship with the community to further community oriented
policing and 2. the reduction of crime. And those are the exact
same goals that I have for my department.

Police brutality has recently been thrust in the national
spotlight. Do you think abuses of power such as in New York, where
four officers sodomized an inmate in their custody, and in
Baltimore where four officers were caught on video tape shooting to
death an unarmed man, are inherent parts of community/police power
dynamics?

Chapman: No, not at all. I think these are exceptional incidents
that occur, however unfortunate. I think that the Rodney King
incident was an exception, certainly not an indictment against the
other 30,000 to 35,000 police officers who operate and serve the
public day in and day out within the county of Los Angeles. I think
the power contracts within the community and the police department
are no different. We recruit our police officers from the general
community. We are part of society and we do cut our officers from
that fabric.

Authority is something that should be valued and regulated very
closely. I think that’s what police agencies are trying to do with
the concept of community-oriented policing. To take that authority
and apply it to the perceptions, suggestions and goals of the
community and not use that authority strictly for police objectives
is good for society. I think as we proceed with community-oriented
policing you will see that this perception of police brutality will
mitigate significantly.

There will be no abuses of police power as long as I am chief of
police, We run a very tight ship here. What the police officers do
and how they perform their duties is closely looked at. There is a
lot of leadership that is exerted into their daily activities from
my office.

CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin

UCLA Police Chief Clarence Chapman during the Q & A
session.

CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin