Why Crime is Down at UM

I'm writing to congratulate the members of the University of Miami Police Department (UMPD) for breaking the record for the lowest crime year in our 54-year history of existence. Of course, we could have never done this without the great support of our partners at the Coral Gables Police Department.? I am often asked, “what do you attribute this success in lowering crime to?”? The answer to this question is complicated because we have created so many initiatives and instituted so many changes but below are the top 10 factors that help us make our campus one of the safest in all of Florida.

1. We have an extremely dedicated team at UMPD, who are committed to and genuinely care for our campus community, and consistently go above and beyond to help in any way possible to ensure the safety and security of the University.? I always tell the team that there is no limit to how far they can go to help a member of our community.? We also have excellent partnerships with our campus community, which greatly assists the community in feeling comfortable to call us for anything that seems suspicious, and they trust that we will respond quickly and thoroughly investigate anything called in.
2. We changed our security model from a Public Safety Department to a Police Department.
3. We hired some of the most experienced officers from different departments like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Miami-Dade Police, the City of Miami, the City of North Miami, Pinecrest Police, Coral Gables Police, and the Florida Highway Patrol to name a few.? This diversity of ideas and the variety of police practices and tactics contained by these employees allowed us to have an atmosphere of continuous improvement.
4. Created a robust detective unit which investigates every single crime on campus and has a dedicated investigator that handles all threat cases.? This threat investigator works closely with the Miami-Dade Fusion Center, the FBI, and our partners at Coral Gables Police to follow all leads on any threat, conduct periodic checks on previous threat offenders, use the Risk Protection Order when needed and much more.
5. We have one of the best security infrastructure in Florida.? Our cameras, portable cameras, tag readers, biometrics, access control and alarms provide the campus with a digital net that covers most of the areas where crimes occur or where people gather.? If a crime is committed on campus, we can typically identify the offender because of our systems. Our security systems also serve as a deterrent to potential criminals.
6. Created a Patrol Script System modeled after the way many NFL football teams script their first 20 plays or so to start a game.? Using this idea, our patrol officers start the day knowing where they need to be and at what times based on events scheduled or on crime mapping data.? For further research on this model, please reference this article: https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/proactive-patrolling-through-the-use-of-patrol-scripts/
7. Introduced the CompStat crime analysis/response model 17 years ago which evolved into the Stratified Policing Model (special thanks to the Port St. Lucie Police Department for showing us how it’s done).? With Stratified Policing when a crime pattern or trend is identified we immediately hold a COAR meeting (Collaborative Operational Analysis and Response) and begin the coordination of problem-solving responses and efforts across divisions/units. ?For further research on this model, please reference this article: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8fimfbhat8727ojwowwge/Institutionalization-of-Problem-Solving-at-Port-St.-Lucie-PD-cops-w0613-pub.pdf?rlkey=brhptn1vel1jgp21pjqvo9exb&dl=0
8. Created the position and hired closed circuit television monitors that provide real-time information to responding officers on any critical call and help investigators, after the fact, with forensic video evidence.
9. In the area of morale, we provide our employees with competitive salaries and benefits along with the latest equipment. ?Every officer carries a patrol rifle, ballistic shield, ballistic helmet, and grappling tools in case of an active shooter incident for single officer entry.
10. We created crime prevention programming efforts to address personal safety and protection of target property such as air pods, laptops, cell phones, bikes, and scooters.? Scooter and bike thefts are our number one crime problem; therefore we have a “red lock” policy - if we see an unlocked scooter or bike, we lock it with a red lock and leave a sign for the owner to call us to unlock it for them.? During the meeting between the officer and the owner to unlock the scooter or bike, we use that opportunity to register the scooter, provide a free lock and exchange safety information.?