In the paraphrased words of Dr. Maya Angelou, we must ‘take off the blinders from our vision, take the padding from our ears, we confess we’ve heard you crying and admit we’ve seen your tears.”
Equality
, Dr. Maya Angelou
Our nation, our state and our cities have been unsettled for the last several days. We, too, watched in disbelief as the death of George Floyd unfolded on video. We understand the feelings of anger, rage and frustration arising from this tragic situation. Our heartfelt prayers and sympathies go out to his family.
Officers entering the profession of law enforcement do so with a commitment to understand the communities we serve, work in harmony with community leaders, and to protect life and property with no intent to cause harm. As guardians of our communities, it is our duty to respect
the sanctity of human life and defend the liberties of all people.
We at the University of South Florida Police Department (USFPD) in Tampa, and St. Petersburg work tirelessly to create an environment of professionalism and mutual respect. In partnership with our local law enforcement partners, we consistently explore new and improved ways to educate and train our members, constantly working to improve the services we provide. Through a variety of community engagement, we work diligently to maintain connectivity with a diverse cross-section of students, staff and faculty on all USF campuses.
It is our mission to enhance the quality of life -- not to harm it. Our officers work with student government, and a host of other campus partners, to ensure members of our community have a safe environment in which they can live, study, work, and play. We value positive police-community interactions and encourage people to get to know the human behind the badge. Through a complex and comprehensive screening process, we select and hire only those candidates who reflect the professional characteristics critical to the needs of the USF community.
Throughout their careers at the USF Police Department, our officers seek opportunities in which they can establish productive relationships with students, staff, and faculty. The majority of these interactions are to educate the USF community and ensure a sense of safety. We value USF’s international composition and cultural differences, while respecting the individuality, all of which makes up the unique USF campus personality. We seek to establish a climate of trust and shared responsibility for safety on the USF campuses. We work to ensure our members are approachable and foster critical community relationships.
Sadly, there is a natural human tendency to impose collateral guilt upon an entire population, based upon the wrongdoing of a select few. As a result, relationships are fractured, trust is diminished, and effective modes of communication begin to break down. In these turbulent times, it is critical that we, as a community, dig deep and share an understanding of the collective hurt. We, the chiefs of police at USF Tampa, and USF St. Pete stand together with our community. We seek to be a part of the solution…understanding that the authority we have been granted is borne from the individuals we serve.
We in law enforcement understand the improper actions of our officers can obliterate years of trust and undermine our interactions with our community. As guardians of the peace, people place their faith in us to prevent harm and protect their interests. However, no matter how vigilant we remain in holding our employees accountable, we are not perfect and failures will occur. However, from this and other tragedies, we can grow and learn, becoming even more steadfast in determining how we can improve and reinforce those tenets that drew many into this profession. As stated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. Therefore, as a community, we must respect the perspectives of one another and pursue a collective healing.
We want to express to the USF African American community and all those we serve, a commitment to integrity, dedication and equality.
We see you and hear you!
