A meeting of the Marquette University Police Department (MUPD) Advisory Board was called to order in Room 455 of Eckstein Hall on Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 3:32 p.m. Due and timely notice of the meeting, an agenda and draft minutes from the previous meeting were provided by email to each member of the Board in advance of the meeting. Notice of the meeting was also posted on the MUPD Advisory Board website. The meeting was open to the public.

Roll Call. Board members present in person at the meeting were Thomas Hammer, Chair of the Board and Associate Professor, Marquette University Law School; Keith Stanley, Executive Director of Avenues West and Near West Side Partners; Carol Trecek, Director of Continuing Education and Alumni Relations, Marquette University Dental School; and Dr. Meghan Stroshine, Associate Professor in Social & Cultural Sciences, Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. Board member Meredith Gillespie, President of Marquette University Student Government (MUSG), did not attend the meeting. Non-Board Members present at the meeting included Jeff Kranz, MUPD Captain; Katie Berigan, MUPD Captain; Joe Erwin, MUPD Detective Lieutenant; and Jeff Kipfmueller, Senior Associate General Counsel (as legal counsel to the Board).

Consideration of Minutes of the April 18, 2017 Meeting. The minutes for the March 23, 2018 Board Meeting were unanimously approved by the Board Members (motion by Ms. Trecek, seconded by Mr. Stanley).

Renewals, Appointment, Election of Vice Chair. The Chair indicated that President Michael Lovell has reappointed Mr. Stanley and the Chair for additional three-year terms. The Chair further indicated that President Lovell had appointed Ms. Gillespie as the student board member. Ms. Trecek moved to nominate Mr. Stanley for the position of Board Vice-Chair, with a term of one year. The motion was seconded by Dr. Stroshine and passed unanimously.

Update on Departmental Activities and Initiatives. Captain Kranz provided the following updates:

Crime Statistics. Of the 12 robberies through July 31, 2018, eight were cleared through arrests. Of the 27 batteries and assaults, 25 were cleared; batteries and assaults numbers have increased slightly. Burglary numbers have been steady. The retail thefts reported are primarily related to Walgreens and 7-11. There has been a reduction in public drinking and drug offenses. Captain Kranz reported that MUPD has taken 450 calls for service in the last 12 months, some of which were forwarded by the Milwaukee Police Department to MUPD. Captain Kranz stated this level is manageable and that MUPD is properly staffed for this volume.

Active Shooter Training. MUPD is launching a new training initiative on this topic at the Alumni Memorial Union (AMU) tonight. This training will be offered monthly by MUPD at various locations and times. MUPD has already provided similar training at the Pleasant Prairie campus. Further, this summer, Public Safety Officers surveyed all of Marquette’s buildings and identified “safe rooms” to be used for shelter-in- place. MUPD is now assessing how to harden those safe rooms by adding hardline telephones, door stops, first aid kits, etc. MUPD is also determining how to identify those safe rooms for students and staff, but not trespassers. Part of the Active Shooter training stresses the identification of danger/warning signs for the campus community.

Tire Deflation Devices. The department has recently completed training on the use of stop/spike sticks designed to deflate tires and slow/stop vehicles. These devices are designed to slowly release air from tires and will make pursuits safer and slower. Captain Kranz indicated he would send a draft policy regarding the use of such equipment to the Board. At present, we will have this equipment in two squad cars, with the option of adding more if needed.

Eagle Eye App. MUPD has launched a new safety app, called Eagle Eye. The app features a mobile BlueLight feature, which allows users to press a button that connects them directly to MUPD and send the device’s location to MUPD in real-time. It also has a Friend Walk feature, which allows students to track their friends’ locations from point A to point B. One can also call a Limo directly from the app. There are additional sections, such as emergency procedures for faculty/staff and a page all about Natty, the MUPD dog. MUPD is looking at adding the capability to track Limo Express vans. So far, there have been more than 600 downloads of the app.

Community Engagement.

• MUPD successfully hosted a week-long FBI Youth Academy at Marquette, in which 30 high school students participated. It was only the second time that this program had been offered (first was at Yale University). The FBI, ATF and state and local law enforcement participated in this program. The students stayed in Mashuda Hall during the academy.
• A Diversity Liaison Officer position has been rolled out. The idea is that students are more comfortable with police officers with similar backgrounds, similar race, similar ethnicity. This is a voluntary position for MUPD officers, and we currently have five such officers. The position requires additional diversity training. These liaison officers will hold office hours open to everyone in the Marquette community and the assignments will be spread amongst all shifts. These officers will wear a special patch on their uniforms identifying them as diversity officers. These officers can be dispatched by request, but they will also be on patrol. This is a unique Marquette initiative which was a student suggestion.
• Tent City (under the freeway): Mr. Stanley asked about this area. MUPD already has officers who are liaisons to Tent City and they regularly do walkthroughs of that area. Technically, this is on state property, so Marquette is not in a position to evict those individuals. There was an estimate of 20-30 tents currently in that area. This area is within the MUPD patrol zone and MUPD is actively engaged on this topic with the City.

Implementation of Body Cameras. The subscription model for such equipment has changed in recent years. Instead of purchasing brand new cameras and hardware every year, the new model is that a police department “subscribes” to a plan. That way, we can receive the latest in hardware, software and data storage on a regular basis, without having to make significant capital expenditures when technology improves. We would likely receive new equipment every 30 months, or so, with this model. This proposal will be considered in the next budget cycle.

Public Comments. None.

Other Business. The Chair asked for a motion to convene in closed session to discuss personnel matters. Mr. Stanley made the motion, Ms. Trecek seconds. The Board then went into closed session (no minutes). The committee reconvened in open session at 5:02 p.m.

Selection of Next Meeting Date. The next Board Meeting will be sent out once a date is determined.

Adjournment. Ms. Trecek moved to adjourn, Mr. Stanley seconded. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned by the Chair at 5:10 p.m.