Updates on the Future of Campus Safety at Smith

Monday, June 10, 2019

Dear students, staff and faculty: 

I am writing today to announce a year-long, community-focused process to re-envision the leadership and structure of our campus police force. 

Since 2009, Smith College has been a member of a joint police force with partner institutions within the Five Colleges—Mount Holyoke and Hampshire colleges from 2009 to 2018, and then Mount Holyoke College from 2009 to today. In recent years, we have increasingly recognized the need to develop approaches to campus policing that are tailored to the specific needs of our own campus. Therefore, Mount Holyoke and Smith have decided to return to operating their own independent campus police departments by July 1, 2020. 

In the coming months, we will engage members of the Smith community in a thoughtful, inclusive process. As part of this process, we will examine the needs of our community and launch a search for a campus police leader dedicated to serving those needs—including, first and foremost, the safety of our students, staff and faculty.

Additionally, both Smith and Mount Holyoke will continue working in close concert during and after the separation to ensure a successful transition. Throughout this year, both colleges pledge to maintain a responsive, respectful and uninterrupted level of professional service through the existing joint police force. Members of the Smith community can still contact Campus Police by dialing 2490 from any campus phone or 413-585-2490 from a cell phone or off campus.

We welcome your feedback on this process. A more detailed timeline, which will include listening sessions and focus groups to be held this summer and fall, will be shared with the community as soon as it is available. Until that time, I invite you to share your thoughts and comments with James Gray, associate vice president for facilities, who oversees campus safety and policing at Smith.

Sincerely,

David DeSwert
Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration (effective 7/1/19)