About
The PAB is a civilian oversight committee charged by the Chancellor and comprised of UC Santa Cruz students, staff and faculty who care about improving police accountability, reforming existing policies and procedures and promoting greater confidence in policing. We believe the community should have a way to review the behavior of those whose duty is to serve and protect the public. To do this, our board broadly represents the diversity of the UC Santa Cruz community and operates independently from the UC Santa Cruz Police Department.
As members of the community, we want to ensure the police department is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the community. We share the public’s concern about police practices nationally. We strive to do our part to improve police-community relations at UC Santa Cruz. Our impartial, community-based oversight board provides an opportunity for the community to recognize good policing practices, as well as to shed light on conduct and processes in need of reform. Through our work, we hope to provide important public feedback to make positive changes at the UC Santa Cruz Police Department.
Why Your Voice Matters
The effectiveness of the Police Accountability Board relies upon community members speaking out about possible police misconduct. When you file a complaint or provide feedback about your experiences with the UC Santa Cruz Police Department, the PAB can more effectively address community concerns and make impactful recommendations to the Police Department.
Any member of the UC Santa Cruz community or general public can file a complaint or submit feedback. The University of California Police Department Complaint or Compliment Form can be used to share any thoughts you have about UC Santa Cruz Police Department contacts, policies or practices. The form can also be used to report instances when you feel a UC Santa Cruz Police Department officer has acted improperly in the course of their work. Whether the complaint is related to discourteous treatment, discrimination, unnecessary force or any other police action that you feel is wrong, the Police Accountability Board wants to know about it.
Confidentiality
We are committed to protecting confidentiality to the greatest extent possible under law and policy. We want the public to feel comfortable voicing concerns when incidents related to police misconduct arise. Accordingly, the university takes important steps to keep the names and identifying information of complainants confidential. Although there are circumstances where conducting a thorough investigation into an incident requires someone’s identity to be known, there are ways for you to share your feedback confidentially. Whatever your concerns about confidentiality and your level of comfort with disclosing your identity, there are ways in which you can still make your voice heard.