Faculty told to contact U of A police if outside law officers come on campus

UA’s Deputy Chief and Safety Officer Eric Kazmierczak, speaking to the Faculty Senate, did not specify if “non-university law enforcement” means U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but faculty senators focused on ICE in asking him questions about the policy. 

“This is a sensitive and complex issue and I appreciate and recognize that this is something that potentially folks in this room have been impacted by either professionally or personally,” Kazmierczak, who works with UA’s Office of Public Safety, told the Faculty Senate in a meeting this spring.

“I understand the complexities of this topic and how emotional it may be,” he said. “… The university’s guidance is clear and consistent. If a non-university law enforcement officer arrives, employees should not interfere or obstruct. Instead, employees should inform the officer that you are contacting UAPD (the University of Arizona Police Department).”

Kazmierczak said UA employees should immediately contact UAPD officers by calling 9-1-1 and that campus police should be the “focal point or primary access point” for the situation. He also said individuals can call the non-emergency UAPD line at (520)-621-UAPD.

If individuals are in a “centrally scheduled classroom,” the technology in all those classrooms is the same and includes access to a blue call box, which is the same as the blue light phones on campus. Centrally scheduled classrooms are instructional spaces managed by UA’s Office of Registrar, and he said hitting a button on the blue call box will connect people directly with UAPD.

The situation will then be assessed and responded to by UAPD officers and UA’s Office of General Counsel collaboratively.

Faculty Senator Lucy Ziurys, a UA professor of chemistry, biochemistry and astronomy, asked Kazmierczak what UA employees should be doing if a federal agent enters a classroom and prevents people from calling UAPD or threatens to arrest them if they call. 

“I don’t know that I’m in a position to give legal advice on that one, Senator,” Kazmierczak said. “I would say that based on my experience, they will probably not do so. But I’m not going to give you legal advice on what to do if they’re seizing your phone or something to that effect.”

However, Kazmierczak did say that if the individual manages to text 9-1-1, it will go to UA’s dispatch center, which will get the individual’s location and phone number and will register the fact that they were trying to contact police. A text will immediately generate a response, he said.

“The university does not expect faculty or staff to assess warrants to determine the legality of a law enforcement officer’s presence, or to physically prevent entry in those restricted spaces,” he told faculty senators. “This is where institutional coordination with offices like (UA’s) Office of Public Safety or the Office of General Counsel becomes so important.”

Kazmierczak said the UA operates in a “mixed use environment” where parts of the campus are open to the public and others are limited to specific university functions.

He said outdoor areas like the UA Mall, common spaces like the dining areas, and the Student Union Memorial Center are generally open to the public, while closed spaces like classrooms, labs, offices and residence halls have limited access. He said the UA considers classrooms to be “non-public spaces during scheduled instruction, intended only for those who are there for an academic purpose.”

UAPD didn’t respond to the Arizona Daily Star’s request for an interview with Police Chief Chris Olson about the jurisdiction or extent of authority a UAPD officer would have in a situation where a non-university law enforcement officer is present.

Kazmierczak didn’t respond to follow-up questions, emailed by the Star, on whether the non-university law enforcement officials he referred to include ICE officers, or if UAPD officers would have any authority over the situation even after they were called.

“We recognize this is an important topic and are committed to ensuring our campus community has clear, accessible guidance,” wrote Kazmierczak in an email quote shared by Tamra Ingersoll, the public information officer with UA’s Office of Public Safety. “In this context, 'non-university law enforcement' refers broadly to any public safety entity that is not the University of Arizona Police Department, including local, state and federal agencies.”

At the senate meeting, UA Faculty Chair Leila Hudson asked Kazmierczak if university employees could get information on the presence of ICE or any other federal law enforcement agency beforehand, and if they can count on coordination between the UAPD, the UA and federal agencies.

To this, Kazmierczak said they could count on the fact that UA is in contact with “local, state and federal partners,” and that UAPD officers will be there immediately to respond once called.

Kazmierczak said the important thing to remember is that classrooms are “limited-access spaces intended for academic purposes and faculty can manage that classroom environment.” However, when legal questions come into play, involving law enforcement or the presence of an arrest warrant, the responsibility is passed from faculty to the institution to “ensure consistent and legally sound responses.”

He said if university employees should remember this: pause, call and refer.

“Pause to ensure that we do not engage or escalate the situation, call UAPD immediately, and refer handling of that situation to the institution for clarity,” Kazmierczak said.