Announcing the Task Force on Community Safety and Policing

Dear campus community, 

Consistent with the university’s ongoing focus on addressing systemic racism, I am pleased to announce the appointment of the Task Force on Community Safety and Policing. The Task Force membership will include: 

  • Patrick Day, Vice President for Student Affairs (co-chair)
  • Edith Kinney, Associate Professor in the Department of Justice Studies (co-chair)
  • Frank Belcastro, Captain, San José State University Police Department
  • Alexandra Froelich, Director of Student Conduct and Ethical Development
  • Dalila Gomez, SJSU student, Associated Students, Inc. Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities
  • Henderson Hill, Director of Student Involvement
  • Nicole Morris, Director of Clery Compliance
  • Ana Navarette, Director of UndocuSpartan Student Resource Center
  • Raul Peralez, Member of San José City Council, District 3
  • Garrick Percival, Associate Professor in Political Science
  • Edwin Tan, Director of Advocacy and Community Relations
  • Aurion Wiley-Green, SJSU student, Double major, Justice Studies & African American Studies
  • Gil Zamora, Lecturer in Justice Studies and Forensic Sciences

The Task Force on Community Safety and Policing charge is to examine the critical safety issues of the San José State University campus and the roles the University Police Department and other campus departments, student and community organizations, neighborhood associations and other groups have in ensuring an environment conducive to learning, racial justice and equity.

Representing a cross-section of the SJSU community—including students, staff, faculty, alumni and external community members—the Task Force will be engaged in relevant discussions based on SJSU’s mission, its role in the city and region, environmental analysis, equity and justice, stakeholder experiences, benchmark analysis, current and emerging best practices, and the strategic direction of the university.

The group will meet throughout the fall semester and complete its work no later than January of 2021.  By the end of February, the Task Force will present a final report with a set of recommendations to me.

I thank the individuals named above for their dedication to our community and their willingness to serve on the Task Force. And I also thank the members of the University Police Department for their valuable service to our campus community during these extraordinary times.