UC San Francisco

Program Highlights

Mike Denson is the Chief of Police at the University of California, San Francisco. The UCSF Police Department is comprised of 154.75 authorized staff organized into the Office of the Chief and four operating divisions servicing a population exceeding 60,000 patients, visitors, students, faculty, staff and affiliates. Field Services Division provides uniformed police and investigative services to the UCSF community, special event management, Clery Act compliance, emergency communications (PSAP), records, property and evidence, and crime prevention/analysis. The Security Services Division is responsible for WeID services and campus security guard staffing. The Professional Standards and Support Services Division consists of staff recruitment, training, accreditation (CALEA), research and development, internal affairs, business services, purchasing, and reception. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division is responsible for campus-wide emergency management and business continuity planning. For detailed information about the University of California, San Francisco, Police Department programs, please visit: http://www.police.ucsf.edu.

Office of the Chief

The Chief of Police is responsible for overall leadership, direction, and delivery of police, security, emergency management and public safety services to the University of California, San Francisco community. The Chief is also responsible for strategic and financial planning, labor relations, community outreach and intergovernmental relations.

Field Services

Uniformed Patrol Services

Patrol Services is the primary instrument through which the police mission is accomplished. Patrol Services are provided 24-hours a day, every day. Police officers are assigned roving vehicular, motorcycle, bicycle and foot patrols of UCSF areas to maintain high-profile, pro-active preventative public safety services. Their mission is to help ensure a safe and secure environment for the campus community and visitors at all campus sites.

2016 performance highlights include:

• Responded to 45,148 received calls for service, processed 410 arrests, investigated 1,866 cases, and issued 1,998 citations. In addition, uniformed officers conducted 930 Community Orientated Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) activities, along with 4,536 directed foot patrols on campus properties.
• Conducted 37 special operational events, which included coordination of security for visiting Heads of State, activist demonstrations, UC Regents’ meetings, mutual aid, and criminal surveillance/operations.
• Assumed policing duties for UC Hastings as a contract Police Department.
• Created new specialty assignment: Special Weapons and Tactics.
• Hosted Behavioral Analysis Training Institute Interview and Interrogation class for all Patrol Officers.
• Participated in the Secret Service Electronics Crime Task Force (ECTF) and Sexual Assault for first Responders Training.
• Created a Social Media Division and created a Coffee with COPS program.

Investigative Services

Investigative Services conducts investigations on all reported major crimes. They also maintain investigative liaisons with other law enforcement agencies and develop crime analysis information to assist in effective patrol operations and to better inform the community of crime matters. Investigative Services manages a myriad of criminal cases each year including sexual assault, robbery, assault, embezzlement, burglary, identity theft, fraud and criminal threats.

2016 performance highlights include:

• Investigative Services reviewed a fraud case that later became a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, involving a UCSF food service worker. Detectives identified the criminals involved in a fraudulent retirement investment scheme and prepared over 25 search warrants related to bank records, and each warrant identified more victims. The Offices of the United States Attorneys agreed to prosecute the case and a federal indictment is in process. The UCSF employee who was a ring leader in the scam was terminated by the University.
• Detectives reviewed a series of theft cases involving a parking valet vendor under contract with UCSF at Mission Bay. Specifically, credit cards were stolen from victims using the valet service at the Mission Bay Hospitals. Investigative Services conducted undercover sting operations and subsequently identified and arrested the suspect. The charges included embezzlement, possession of stolen property, fraud, forgery, burglary and outstanding warrants.
• Detectives followed up on a case involving an ex-employee making criminal threats. Due to the seriousness of the threats and the potential for workplace violence, UCSF PD responded to the suspect’s home. With the assistance from the Vallejo Police Department, UCSF PD obtained a Ramey warrant and arrested the suspect for felony threats. In addition, the suspect received a restraining order.
• UCSF PD has incorporated UC Hastings as part of daily patrols. During these patrols, UCSF PD officers have made numerous drug arrests. With the assistance of Investigative Services, arrest warrants were made on numerous individuals for drug possession for sale. Investigative Services continues to work with Patrol Services units in the UC Hastings area toward the apprehension of suspects involved in drug activity.
• The interview room located at 1855 Folsom Street was upgraded with new interview table/chairs and a detention bench secured to the floor.

911 Emergency Communications Center (ECC)

The UCSF Emergency Communications Center (ECC) continues to be the critical link between the community and patrol units in the field. The ECC is staffed 24-hours a day, 365 days a year and is located at 654 Minnesota Street near the Mission Bay campus. The ECC provides the highest quality and most professionally competent public services to all members of the UCSF and allied Community.

The ECC handles emergency 9-1-1 calls for service as well as wireless calls, non-emergency, and allied agency calls. The calls for service range from in-progress crimes such as robbery or assault to non-emergency calls, such as past petty thefts or loud music disturbance calls.

2016 performance highlights include:

• Increased staffing with the hiring of one Per Diem Public Safety Dispatcher.
• Established compensation for Communications Training Officers.

Property/Evidence Unit

2016 performance highlights include:

• Updated Department General Orders relative to property and evidence processing.
• Developed extensive process map for property and evidence submissions.

Crime Prevention Unit

The Crime Prevention Unit develops, promotes, and maintains safety awareness and outreach programs for the UCSF Police Department. Presentations and special workshops are scheduled by request throughout the year and include new student orientations, new employee orientations, personal safety seminars, workplace violence prevention, sexual assault prevention and related law enforcement topics. In addition, the Unit evaluates and recommends security standards for existing and planned buildings, and high risk facilities at UCSF (CPTED - Crime Prevention through Environmental Design).

2016 performance highlights include:

• Produced 23 crime analysis reports for Field Services officers.
• Conducted 38 safety presentations for the UCSF community.
• Disseminated 18 crime alerts/safety bulletins to the UCSF community.
• Conducted 99 security surveys and design reviews.
• Worked with Capital Programs to streamline the Design Review process.
• Designed and published an updated Safety and Security Awareness Guide.

Security Services Division

Security Services provides infrastructure protection, building security, visitor management, special event services, UCSF identification credentials verification, electronic access control, CCTV camera surveillance, and the Live Scan fingerprinting program (WeID). Security Services personnel provide immediate CPR, First Aid and AED services. WeID provides campus ID cards to students, employees, vendors and contractors. In addition, the WeID team provides LiveScan (fingerprint) based background checks for those needing this service as part of their career duties at UCSF. Every member of the WeID is a notary public. Staff provide notary services for the UCSF community who need notary services in furtherance of their UCSF duties (i.e., research documents, FDA/USDA, record confirmations)

2016 performance highlights include:

• Produced and issued 10,366 UCSF ID cards which provide electronic key card access for faculty, staff, students and affiliates.
• Processed 2,060 criminal history clearances for UCSF employees in critical and sensitive positions (LiveScan).
• Processed 169 notary requests.
• Responded to 9,875 emails concerning requests for access or LiveScan.

Professional Standards and Support Services Division

The Professional Standards and Support Services Division is responsible for the maintenance and administration of department policies and procedures, research and development, training, recruitment, employment background investigations, hiring and internal affairs. The Division maintains compliance with all applicable standards for the department’s accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and other functions assigned by the Chief of Police.

2016 performance highlights include:

• Managed the 2014-17 CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accreditation process. The UCSF Police Department is working towards the CALEA Gold Standard Certificate of Accreditation.
• Upheld all training requirements to Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), University of California, legislative mandates and Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Standards (CALEA).
• Recruited, tested, processed hundreds of applicants, and hired numerous individuals for vacancies across the department’s four divisions. The acquisition of UC Hastings to provide law enforcement and security services, required the recruiting and hiring of all the Senior Security Guards and Supervisors staffed at that location.
• Worked on acquiring the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administers (IACLEA) accreditation.

2016 Homeland Security Emergency Management Division

The Homeland Security Emergency Management Division (HSEM) is responsible for implementing advanced emergency preparedness protocols in support of UCSF’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), coordinating UCSF’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), planning, training, and supporting an “All-Hazard” response, risk assessment & mitigation and mission continuity planning for the UCSF community.

2016 performance highlights include:

• Increased Incident Command Post (ICP) emergency caches in east and west San Francisco campuses.
• Developed new strategies for traditional emergency water storage to canned water, improving shelf life and eliminating plastic storage use.
• Leveraged AED/CPR/1^st Aid $25,000 grant to purchase nine automatic external defibrillators (AED) for placement across campus high traffic areas; brought training in-house to serve the campus community.
• Trained HSEM and UCSF Police Security Managers as HeartSaver instructors to provide AED/CPR/1^st Aid to other police staff and community members.
• Graduated UCSF’s first Campus Emergency Response Team (CERT), training 20 campus multidisciplinary community members of clinical, engineering, housing, and student staff.
• Addressed UCLA Campus Task Force Report 2016 with improved emergency management strategies for heightened levels of communication, preparedness, security, and victim and community support, including:
  • Safety first awareness/community engagement
  • See Something/Say Something® campaign
  • Communication modalities (audible/visual alerts for access and functional needs populations)
• Continued implementation of new UC Ready application including the development of 26 departmental continuity plans.
• Both the director and deputy director completed FEMA Continuity of Operations Program training at UC Santa Barbara in spring 2016.
• Participated in the following exercises, drills and events:
  • UC Regents’ Meeting Incident Command Post activation (January, March, May, July, November at San Francisco, and September at Los Angeles)
  • Campus Emergency Prevention, Response, and Recovery Training and Drill-San Rafael (February)
  • Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative (BAUASI): Public Information Officer and Joint Information Center training and exercise (March)
  • Emergency Operations Center (EOC)/Hospital Command Center (HCC) Drill (April)
  • Regional Health Resilience Summit & Mass Casualty Toxic Air Emission Event (May)
  • University of California Risk Summit, Los Angeles (June)
  • Domestic Nuclear Detection Office/DHS: RND Concepts, Tactics, and Integration Exercise-Anniston, AL (August),
  • San Francisco Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative: Urban Shield (September)
  • UCSF Fresno Active Shooter Training for Staff, Faculty, and Students with Fresno Police Department (September)
  • UCSF full-scale EOC exercise for annual Great Shakeout (October)
  • Marks Lab Bio-Terrorist Drill Tabletop Exercise and Functional Exercise (November)