As the academic year gets underway, the 窪蹋勛圖厙���s public campuses are again bustling and busy with students, faculty, staff and visitors. While the focus is on academics, research, learning and building community, on any given day, there may be safety challenges and individuals who feel unsafe for any number of reasons.

Some of the systemic problems within the very institutions ostensibly designed to keep people safe were laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic and further thrust into the spotlight by 2020���s mass protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd.

More than two years later, faculty, staff and students continue to come together to reenvision how the 窪蹋勛圖厙 can best build and maintain a safe community ��� including addressing racism and bringing about long-term change.

Against this backdrop, 窪蹋勛圖厙 President Ana Mari Cauce launched a long-term effort to reimagine safety across the university. Starting Sept. 28, the university���s key safety programs ��� SafeCampus, 窪蹋勛圖厙 Emergency Management and the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Police Department (Seattle campus) ��� will operate through a single division for better coordination, responsiveness and leadership accountability.

A community of the 窪蹋勛圖厙���s size and complexity ��� three campuses in Washington and numerous medical facilities, all with public and private spaces including classrooms, research labs and residences, and all in an earthquake- and flood-prone region ��� requires a range of personal and facility safety services.

Critically, a holistic approach to safety and preparedness must be responsive to different service needs across the whole of the 窪蹋勛圖厙 ��� like crime prevention, crisis response, personal resiliency plans and innovation in unarmed interventions ��� as well as to the different experiences, including negative, that some people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community have had with police.

To bring this initial reimagining and reorganizing work to life, President Cauce asked Sally Clark to serve as the Interim Vice President for Campus & Community Safety. Clark, a former Seattle City Council member, is the Director of Regional & Community Relations, and has decades of experience addressing complex issues by bringing together a diverse range of constituents. 窪蹋勛圖厙 News sat down with Clark to talk about how campus leaders are prioritizing this work. The below conversation has been edited for clarity.

What does advancing safety across the 窪蹋勛圖厙 mean?

Sally Clark: We know that people thrive when they feel safe, and that includes feeling they belong. From there, they can be the best student, researcher, staff person, professor or medical professional. Creating that community of safety starts with emergency preparedness, creating safe spaces, doing our best to work upstream to prevent issues, and deploying the most appropriate response to people in crisis or crime victims.

The work of the new Campus & Community Safety division is to think holistically about everything, including earthquakes and natural disaster preparedness, violence prevention and personal safety plans, mental health support, maintaining safety during games at Husky Stadium and more ��� all while trying to respond to each incident in a way that respects individuals and communities.

We know we have work to do to undo systemic oppression and create a sense of belonging for all people at the 窪蹋勛圖厙. That means we���re engaged in both listening and speaking with a number of student, staff and faculty groups, as well as working with communities around the 窪蹋勛圖厙 to ensure all people are given respect, and ultimately, we achieve the goal of community safety.

When someone on a campus needs emergency help ��� if they are experiencing a crisis, medical need, or have been a crime victim ��� how do they summon help and who will respond?

SC: This depends on the circumstances. If someone feels like they���re threatened or if they���re injured or otherwise need urgent medical attention, I encourage calling 911. Still, I know there are some people in the 窪蹋勛圖厙 community who ��� for good reason ��� don���t feel like that���s the safest call because of their own past experiences or history. On the Seattle campus, that emergency call will result in a 窪蹋勛圖厙PD officer being dispatched. 窪蹋勛圖厙PD���s team is made up of officers who are drawn to the campus community and trained to work with students, faculty and staff. For the Tacoma and Bothell campuses, safety and security officers work hard to offer help in a variety of situations. For those campuses, a crime-related 911 call will mean dispatch of a Tacoma or Bothell police officer.

If you���re concerned about your safety or maybe the safety of someone else ��� you���ve received verbal or online threats, or you notice concerning behavior in a friend or colleague ��� then SafeCampus is your best call. That���s true of wherever you are as a student, staff person or faculty member. The SafeCampus staff is trained to listen and help you with guidance and safety plans. Their website includes links and numbers for resources available day and night.

Finally, the stresses of the world, the pandemic, being a student, caring for family, juggling work, can all add up. For students, the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Seattle���s Counseling Center provides support, as do and . ��For benefits-eligible faculty and staff at any 窪蹋勛圖厙 campus or facility, provides skilled ongoing support.

Around the U.S., people of color have experienced disproportionately negative, sometimes violent, responses from uniformed police officers. What is the 窪蹋勛圖厙 doing to make certain that everyone on campus, especially students, faculty and staff of color, can be confident in being treated fairly and with respect?

SC: The 窪蹋勛圖厙���s Race & Equity Initiative was launched in 2015, prior to the summer of 2020, and has only grown in importance. All of us must be part of the ongoing work to ensure that 窪蹋勛圖厙���s mission ��� to preserve, advance and disseminate knowledge ��� can be fulfilled through all who study, work and visit. Not some, but all. That means we need to look critically at ourselves and past practice in order to be a better, ever more welcoming community that values belonging. This includes policing. I know the new chief of the Seattle campus police force, Craig Wilson, is dedicated to supporting officers in being the best public servants they can be as part of supporting the mission.

Reimagining campus community safety won���t be accomplished by one project or initiative. We need to work with urgency in a long game of continuous reflection and improvement. The new Campus & Community Safety division���s goal will be to instigate, inspire and support ongoing reimagining efforts that make people safer, feel safer and feel like they belong.

What is the 窪蹋勛圖厙 doing to ensure safety in the neighboring communities, such as the U District?

SC: The 窪蹋勛圖厙 is taking a number of steps to work with partners in the community to improve safety and reduce crime. Overall, Seattle and other urban centers have seen a stunning increase in personal and property crimes since the start of the pandemic, and the U District hasn���t been immune. There are several leading reasons for this having to do with the terrible intersection of poverty, addiction and crime.

The 窪蹋勛圖厙 invests in the , which employs teams of Safety Ambassadors in the U District, as well as an outreach worker for unhoused people in crisis. Overall, UDP does an amazing job creating spaces that feel and are safe through cleaning up sidewalks and graffiti; drawing people out to events like the ; and supporting small businesses that are the life force of the U District.

Sometimes, a uniformed officer is what���s needed for a situation. Both 窪蹋勛圖厙PD and the Seattle Police Department have been terrific partners in responding when needed.

You���ve talked a lot about safety in Seattle; what���s being done to address these same issues at 窪蹋勛圖厙 Bothell and 窪蹋勛圖厙 Tacoma?

SC: Both 窪蹋勛圖厙B and 窪蹋勛圖厙T have chancellors, students, faculty and staff who are deeply engaged in discussions about what makes their campus communities safer. The concerns among all three campuses and in 窪蹋勛圖厙 Medicine facilities aren���t radically different, but the campus conditions are a little different.

The new division will support work across the whole of 窪蹋勛圖厙 to set standards and expectations for preparedness, training and accountability as we strive for safety, support and belonging across the system, whether you���re in Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma, Friday Harbor or Rome.

What can students, faculty and staff do to help keep all 窪蹋勛圖厙 spaces safe and prepared?

SC: Each of us has a role to play. It���s always important to stay aware of your surroundings. If you feel unsafe, reach out to either SafeCampus or call 911. There are so many great trainings available for recognizing bias and being a good ally. If we come together and look out for one another, we stay safe and build community.

For more information, contact Clark at salclark@uw.edu.

A 26-year 窪蹋勛圖厙 Police Department veteran and a member of the command staff for the past seven years, Wilson has served as interim chief since January.

���As we progressed through our national search, it became increasingly clear that the most qualified, trusted and capable leader for 窪蹋勛圖厙PD was already here. We are thrilled that Craig has accepted the promotion, as we know the care and creativity he brings to the position will put 窪蹋勛圖厙PD on a solid course for hiring and continued high-quality service to the Seattle campus community,��� Suite and Clark said in a joint letter. ���His appointment brings much-needed stability, a track record of community collaboration and trust to a department that has been working under interim leadership for more than three years.���

Wilson began his career as an officer with 窪蹋勛圖厙PD in 1996 after serving in the U.S. Navy. He moved up the ranks to sergeant, lieutenant, commander and deputy chief.

���Collaborating with others and building strong partnerships is one of the best ways to address issues that impact our community,��� Wilson said. ���I���m thrilled to continue to contribute to the 窪蹋勛圖厙.���

A proud Husky, Wilson graduated from the 窪蹋勛圖厙 with a bachelor���s degree Law, Societies & Justice. He earned a master���s degree in Law and Justice at Central Washington University.

Beginning this fall, 窪蹋勛圖厙PD will join 窪蹋勛圖厙���s new Division of Campus Community Safety along with SafeCampus and 窪蹋勛圖厙 Emergency Management. The division will allow the 窪蹋勛圖厙 to better plan for and respond to safety concerns in more holistic, transparent and accountable ways, Clark said.