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Police Chief Joe Farrow still remembers his shocked reaction to the news of George Floyd’s 2020 murder at the hands of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin: “How does that happen?”

Farrow has worked in law enforcement for more than four decades, including nearly a decade as commissioner of the California Highway Patrol, and found himself at the helm of the UC Davis Police Department as the university — and many others across the nation — looked inward with a critical eye on their own police practices.

Two weeks after Floyd’s death, and in the wake of other high-profile police killings of unarmed Black people around the country, Chancellor Gary S. May convened a 32-person task force of students, faculty and staff, who solicited feedback from the community and then made their own recommendations about ways the UC Davis Police Department “should evolve to look, operate and engage.”

Farrow sat down with UC Davis Magazine in July, in his office that bears the awards and honors of a long career in law enforcement, but also friendly touches like a Mickey Mouse clock and a box of baseballs that have bounced from a nearby practice field into the department parking lot.

He discussed the ways the department has responded since 2020, like the hiring of three Core Officers, who spend most of their time on campus in plain clothes, building relationships. The department has hired other staff members who take reports, direct traffic and connect with the community. Funding from three vacant officer positions was moved to support crime prevention and accreditation, a liaison with Student Affairs, and the Fire Department’s Health 34 program for mental health and minor medical issues. The Police Department has also invited feedback by asking anyone who interacts with a staff member to complete an online survey, the results of which are posted online.

At the same time, the department has dealt with serious threats to safety: A student and community member were killed, and another community member injured, in a series of stabbings in the city of Davis last spring. A suspect was ordered to a state hospital after being found unfit to stand trial for charges of murder and attempted murder.

During his interview with �������� Magazine, Farrow discussed his modern approach to campus policing.

How have things changed in the department since the Campus Safety Task Force submitted its report in 2021?

It came in four unique parts that we were asked to address. One was about transparency. One was about training. One was about more of a tiered response, a tiered approach to how we do policing. And the other one was professionalism. And so what has changed? I think maybe one of the most obvious for our campus is we’re moving away from a one-size-fits-all organization … We’re moving away from sending police officers to every call for service. That’s what we traditionally did for many, many, many years. And in place of that, we’re going to what we call a tiered response. 

I’ve thought of some of these changes as making the police department a little bit more focused on community outreach and less having sworn officers be the face of the department. But obviously you still need those resources. And that was something that we saw in April and May with the stabbings.

Yes. 

How did that tiered response work in that crisis? And did you learn anything from it?

I think it worked really well. The tiered response was built on the concept that we’re here to make people feel safe and ensure their safety … sometimes without traditional law enforcement. But in the midst of stabbings, the majority of the community goes: “Hey, we need police officers.” And I think rightfully so, our community was scared. … They wanted this person apprehended. And it was armed police officers who went out to do that. But our tiered response: Our security officers, they were monitoring cameras. … Aggie Hosts were transporting students everywhere they had to go. Our security personnel were escorting faculty and staff members to their cars. Our Core Officers were out doing training. …

That’s why we do what we do, really to change that whole dynamic here. I’m not here to catch you doing something. I’m here for your safety and your security, and allowing you to enjoy all the benefits of a college education, your ability to work here and thrive within this community, or to teach. So that’s our philosophy. A service for you versus policing to you.

“I’m here for your safety and your security, and allowing you to enjoy all the benefits of a colle