A Mathematics postdoctoral fellow who alleges he was detained by the Harvard University Police Department last week said the terminology HUPD used in its police log to describe his stop a field interview inaccurately understates the officers’ actions and misleads the public about how the department, which frequently describes its operations using the same language, conducts itself.
Arnav Tripathy ’11 said he was crossing through the Radcliffe Quadrangle on his way home from his office around 10:30 p.m. on March 29 when a HUPD officer approached him and asked him questions, such as what he was doing in the area, in relation to an ongoing incident. A second officer then arrived who asked Tripathy to stay to answer further questions, according to Tripathy.
Harvard released the findings of an external review into the University s police department Tuesday that recommended both long-term, philosophical reforms and immediate procedural changes to the department.
University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced the external review in June on the heels of public outrage over Harvard University Police Department officers monitoring a Black Lives Matter protest in Boston and longstanding criticisms of the department’s culture more broadly. The review was conducted by 21CP Solutions, an organization comprised of law enforcement experts who help to reform policing.
In the report, 21CP offered two primary recommendations. The first urges the University to engage in a “community-driven,” “stakeholder-informed” process of redefining public safety at Harvard.