UIC Public Safety Board

Dear students, faculty and staff,

I am pleased to announce the formation of the newly established UIC Public Safety Board. This Board is comprised of faculty, staff, students and community members who will meet at least once a month with John Coronado, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services (VCAS) and Kevin Booker, Chief of the UIC Police Department.

The board will also meet with me every semester to provide recommendations about public safety issues at UIC, especially pertaining to racial equity and social justice.

During its regular meetings the board will focus on the following:

• Review UIC Department policies and procedures especially related to use of force, de-escalation protocols and police training
• Review of UIC Police Department responses to any major incidents
• Review of UIC Police Department communication practices and policies
• Review of complaints filed against UIC Police Department personnel and the outcomes of corresponding investigations
• Review of externally contracted private security firms’ practices and policies
• Explore new and alternative strategies for crisis response.

The board will be co-chaired by Jauwan Hall and Karriem Watson. Hall is a UIC John Marshall Law School student, UIC alumnus, former UIC Student Trustee, and Recruiting & Retention NCO for the Illinois Army National Guard. Watson is Associate Executive Director of the UI Health Mile Square Health Center and Research Assistant Professor in the UIC School of Public Health.

The five elected leaders of the student governance, Jocelyn Bravo (UIC Student Trustee at the University of Illinois Board of Trustees), Wasan Kumar (President of the Undergraduate Student Government), Maria Escamilla (President of the Graduate Student Council), Danuta Dukala (President of the Health Professions Student Council) and Lacey Locke (President of the Student Bar Association) have been invited to join the Board personally or appoint another student as their designee.

Other members of the Board include:

• Sandra De Groote, Professor and Head, Assessment & Scholarly Communications, University Library; Secretary of Faculty Senate; Chair of the Senate Executive Committee
• Aaron Gottlieb, Assistant Professor, Jane Addams College of Social Work
• Jennifer Jackson, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Engagement Coordinator, University Libraries
• Belva Miles, Clinical/Counseling Psychologist, Office of Student Affairs
• Jacob Mueller, Director of Finance and Administration, Office of Diversity
• Nancy Plax, Director of Community Outreach, Connecting4Communities
• Kim D. Ricardo, Professor and Director, UIC JMLS, JD Program, Curricular
• Steven Sims, Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, College of Medicine
• Ken Thomas, UIC Alumnus; Associate at Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll LLP
• Joy Vergara, Executive Director, Center for Student Involvement
• Annette Wright, Associate Dean of Students, Office of Student Affairs

Finally, a member will also be appointed from the Department of Criminology Law and Justice.

I am confident that the resulting recommendations, based on the collective experience of the Board members, will reflect the core values of our community and help us improve public safety on campus.

Sincerely,

Michael Amiridis
Chancellor