Harvard University has hosted an on-campus police station for more than 15 years, but after receiving continuous complaints from students about the station’s presence, the university has decided to close it. Some of the claims against the station state that it is a violent and visual intimidation tactic used by Harvard in order to maintain control over its students and faculty. The police station was located in Mather House residential hall.
The police station on campus was only one of four, but it caused more fear and intimidation than the others because of its proximity to student life. In fact, students and faculty were even uncomfortable with police officers eating food in the same dining hall as them. This just added to the feeling that they were constantly being watched by law enforcement.
“The decision to close the Mather House substation was made last week in response to concerns raised by Mather House staff and students as well as the amount of use of the substation by officers and community members,” in a statement, Harvard University Police Department spokesperson Steven G. Catalano wrote.
Some students said they didn’t feel safe having police officers near their homes and schools.
One Harvard student, Faith A Woods, set to graduate in 2024, stated:
“I am well aware that the police are not there to keep me actively safe,” Woods stated this before the department announced it would be closing its location. “Having a police car sitting outside of Mather every night — which it does — doesn’t bring me any sense of safety. Instead, it implies that we’re being watched and policed, which is not a pleasant feeling.”
Eleanor M. Taylor, a resident of Mather College and a 2022 graduate student, said that the campus police location was designed to make students feel afraid.
“The real effect that the presence of the HUPD substation has on the Mather community is simply a violent, visual intimidation tactic that students are forced to see every time they enter the house,” Taylor stated.
Fortunately, Harvard’s campus police station closure will not compromise safety.
“The closure will not impact the Department’s ability to respond to calls from the community in an effective and timely manner,” Catalano said.
Harvard is shutting down its Waverly Street Station and consequently reducing police presence in Allston. Some students, on the other hand, advocate for the complete closure of the Harvard University Police Department’s operation. Kai DeJesus, a Mather House resident who goes to Harvard College, thinks that Harvard University Police Department should be shut down.
“It’s really important that we keep these violent institutions outside of residences,” DeJesus stated. “Ultimately, HUPD remains the police force that disproportionately targets Black and Brown people here on campus and in Cambridge. For real justice to exist on this campus, HUPD must be abolished.”
Do you believe Harvard University was correct in shutting down its station site? Do college campuses require more police officers, or do they need to concentrate on other things?
