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The University of Toledo Police Department is a professional police agency dedicated to providing excellence in service and safety while promoting a rich educational experience.

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Welcome to The University of Toledo Police Department (UTPD) website. We have designed the website to deliver the latest safety and security information to our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Please spend some time educating yourself on safe choices and best practices and let us know how we are doing. Thanks for visiting our website and for other UTPD safety information please follow us on Twitter.


UToledo Police Promote RAVE Guardian Mobile Safety App

Rave Guardian app ogo

Rave Guardian Mobile Safety is a personal safety app for iPhone and Android devices. The app is offered free to UToledo students, faculty and staff with a utoledo.edu email address. Download the free app from your preferred app store provider.

Learn more about Rave Guardian


UToledo Police Introduce Campus-wide Camera System

October 18, 2023 | News, UToday
By Nicki Gorny

 

With a new campus-wide camera system being installed this week, The University of Toledo Police Department is taking a proactive approach to campus safety.

UToledo is installing 30 Flock Safety license plate-reading cameras with views of the entrances and exits of Main Campus and Health Science Campus, establishing a virtual perimeter that law enforcement officers can use to identify incoming and outgoing vehicles.

John Maletic Jr. installs a license plate-reading camera on the west side of Main Campus.

John Maletic Jr. installs a license plate-reading camera on the west side of Main Campus.

The information can only be used for law enforcement purposes. It is expected to assist officers in investigations, as well as alert them in cases where an immediate response is needed, such as when the system identifies a license plate associated with a stolen vehicle or AMBER Alert.

“We’re working hard to ensure the students, faculty and staff are safe,” UToledo Police Chief Rodney Theis said. “Technology is one tool we can leverage to achieve this goal efficiently, and Flock Safety has a remarkable record when it comes to campus and community safety.”

Flock Safety reports that its technology is used by more than 2,000 cities, more than 1,500 law enforcement agencies and more than 50 higher education institutions. The Toledo Police Department, Lucas County Sheriff’s Office and other regional law enforcement agencies are among those already using it, allowing for convenient collaboration with UToledo Police.

Campus cameras are expected to be operational by the end of October. Nineteen will be installed on Main Campus and 11 will be installed on Health Science Campus.

UToledo Police vehicles have been outfitted with cameras integrated with the system since June.

The Flock Safety system is supported by a grant for $114,240 that UToledo received through the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio School Safety Center in November 2022.

The UToledo Police Department counts 30 sworn officers, including one dedicated community engagement and innovation officer. The camera system is the latest example of new or upgraded technology that officers use to keep campus safe.

Prior to updating the vehicle cameras in June, the department also upgraded its officer body cameras in December 2022 and its TASERs in March.

In August, the department began soliciting feedback on campus interactions with officers through PowerEngage, a tool that allows them to send automated surveys via text message several days after an  interaction. The surveys are intended to gauge a respondent’s satisfaction, and to identify opportunities for improvement or positive reinforcement.

So far, the department has sent 214 surveys through PowerEngage.

 

Latest News

UToledo Police Launches Citizen Engagement And Feedback Solution

New service uses text messaging to allow the community to provide feedback after a police interaction

 Students, faculty, staff and visitors of the University of Toledo will be the first within Toledo and some of the first in the state to use new software to better connect with the communities they serve.

The UToledo Police Department has launched a new citizen satisfaction and feedback solution that uses text messaging to keep citizens informed and provide feedback after a non-life-threatening interaction with their officers.

“In today’s on-demand society, we understand how important it is to keep citizens informed. Much like private companies use tools to send automatic text message notifications, updates and satisfaction surveys to their customers, UToledo Police is now able to do the same,” said Chief Rodney Theis. “We expect that this new solution, PowerEngage, will drastically enhance communication with the community we serve.”

Text messages are sent hours or days after the incident and will ask citizens to take a quick survey about their experience with their call for service. It will also allow citizens to provide their own comments, feedback or have an opportunity to thank the responding officer(s).

With PowerEngage, text message surveys are sent to those whose number is recorded as part of a call for service. But citizens can take a text message survey and provide feedback even if they did not receive a text message.

Residents that do not want to participate can simply not respond or as with all texts, residents may reply with STOP and that will opt them out of all future text surveys from the department.

It is important that everyone know that these surveys should not be used to report any type of emergency or crime. As always, call 9-1-1 for any emergency or to report any criminal activity.

 

UToledo Police Recognized for Excellence in Policy and Training 

Recently, The University of Toledo Police Department was recognized by the Lexipol Connect program for achieving Gold level for consistently and effectively disseminating policies to officers, issuing timely policy updates as laws change, and ensuring officers are trained on policies. Lexipol is the nation’s leading provider of policy, training and wellness support for first responders and public servants; the Connect program tracks The University of Toledo Police Department’s performance on five metrics proven to measure success in policy management.

“Part of the success of our department is sound policy development and regular knowledge-based training on the policies.  We are proud to be recognized by Lexipol Connect for continuously improving professionalism and safety,” says Chief Rodney Theis.

The University of Toledo Police Department’s excellence in policy and policy training enhances community safety by ensuring consistent, effective response based on national best practices.

 

UToledo police joins county emergency dispatch operations

The University of Toledo Police Department has joined the Lucas County 911 Regional Council of Governments consolidated emergency dispatch operations.

The partnership of county, municipal and township governments in Lucas County consolidating to be on one 911 system provides for safe, effective and efficient responses in emergencies, UToledo Police Chief Jeff Newton said.

“UToledo Police has long educated the campus community to call 911 in an emergency,” Newton said. “Please continue to contact our campus police in an emergency by dialing 911 and reserve the UToledo Police non-emergency line, 419.530.2600, for low priority calls that do not require an immediate police response.”

The campus non-emergency line now provides callers a menu of options and should be used for calls such as being locked out of a building or to report a past offense.

The new Lucas County 911 Regional Council of Governments operations brings advantages to UToledo, Newton said, including best practice dispatching and call taking, common county-wide operating procedures, superior handling of large scale incidents that would otherwise overwhelm small centers and seamless mutual aid.

In addition to UToledo, a number of jurisdictions including Toledo, Sylvania, Maumee and Oregon, have moved from operating their own local emergency dispatch centers to the centralized county system.

 

UTPD Announces Online Complaint or Compliment Reporting Process

A well-constructed complaint and compliment process is an integral tool in community-police relations. There is a significant impact when a community knows and understands its concerns can be legitimately addressed in a proper setting.

Further, officers can be better served when they can refer aggrieved individuals to a trusted process. Neither officers nor community members benefit from attempts to have concerns addressed and redressed during a traffic stop or in the midst of an incident. It may prove beneficial for law enforcement agencies to reach out to community members in an effort to publicize, promote and develop processes that are mutually beneficial to all.

As a result, UTPD has implemented an online reporting form to serve as a mechanism for citizens to report a complaint or compliment. Review an overview of this process and the reporting form.

Last Updated: 11/29/23