Humboldt State University Chief of Police Donn Peterson was with university Vice President of Administration and Finance Douglas Dawes when he first learned of the no-confidence vote from his officers through a press release from their union Monday.
Speaking to the Journal, Peterson said he was so shocked at the news that he asked Dawes to finish reading the press release for him. He said that while it's clear his officers have strong feelings about him, he’s grateful this is out in the open and is now focused on working toward solutions.
“I’m clearly disappointed with the news but I have a great deal of respect for the seriousness of the matter. It deserves to be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and that should be a transparent process. The public deserves to know and I’m committed to being open and candid,” Peterson said. “To find out like this (in a press release) was jolting and surprising, but my first thought was, ‘Fantastic, let’s talk about it in a transparent and clear way; let’s get it out all on the table,’”
On Sept. 30, the Statewide University Police Association (SUPA), the union that represents HSU police officers, issued a press release to announce UPD's officers had taken a no-confidence vote in Peterson. The rare vote is symbolic and essentially amounts to a public statement of dissatisfaction with the chief from his 10 officers, nine of whom voted for the statement of no confidence with the 10th abstaining.
“We’ve exhausted all of our options, [releasing the press release] is our way of bringing it to light,” officer Billy Kijriopas, HSU's SUPA union director, said.
Kijsriopas said the UPD officers took the no-confidence vote a month ago and also filed an "unfair practice charge" with the California Public Employee Relations Board, the state agency responsible for enforcing collective bargaining laws.
In the press release, the officers accused Peterson of creating a hostile work environment, including making racist remarks, as well as violating labor laws, manipulating crime statistics and excessive absenteeism.
Information on Concerns Raised by UPD Employees
September 30, 2019
Earlier today, I learned of a vote of no confidence in the University’s Police Chief by members of the union within the University Police Department.
At HSU, we take seriously any concerns raised by University employees. We will thoroughly investigate all of the allegations brought to our attention.
HSU has high expectations for all employees within the University Police Department and remains committed to helping them be effective. We support them in the focus, as stated in their mission statement, on being “leaders in creating a safe campus and promoting student success by modeling equity, transparency, enhancing access and approachability, and delivering the very best ethical, community-based law enforcement practices.”
During his tenure at HSU, Chief Peterson and his team have enhanced outreach to students through the Chief’s Advisory Panel, created the safety escort program, and worked closely with Equity Arcata. The University Police Department will remain committed to our engagement in these activities and other efforts to ensure student safety.
Sincerely,
Douglas V. Dawes
Vice President for Administration & Finance
HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY POLICE VOTE NO CONFIDENCE IN CHIEF
Arcata, CA. According to officials with the Statewide University Police Association (SUPA), its officers at the Humboldt State University Police Department have cast a vote of no confidence in the Department’s police chief, Donn Peterson. Nine of 10 officers who completed the survey voted against the Chief, while the remaining voter abstained.
SUPA conducts annual leadership surveys at each CSU campus. The most recent nearly unanimous vote of no confidence in Police Chief Donn Peterson is in line with previous year’s results. Chief Peterson took the job at HSU after leaving his former post with Florida’s Broward County Sheriff’s Department amid scandal. Peterson still regularly spends time out of state with his family in Florida.
According to HSU Officer Billy Kijsriopas, "Chief Peterson's frequent, extended bouts of time out of state leave the department in the hands of a Lieutenant who also spends an unusual amount of time away from campus. Our officers look to the Chief for guidance and leadership, but he has fallen short of the standards they and the University community deserve."
According to Officer Kijsriopas, absenteeism is only a fraction of the failure in leadership the Department has seen since Peterson came to HSU in January 2015. Among the Chief’s other offenses, Kijsriopas cites manipulation of crime statistics reporting, creating a hostile work environment including making racial slurs aimed at minority officers, multiple violations of the Public Safety Officer’s Procedural Bill of Rights Act and blatant violations of labor laws that include a derogatory, anti-labor letter which Peterson authored and posted publicly.
Says SUPA president Jeff Solomon, “Our members in the Humboldt State University Police Department have consistently reported absenteeism, mismanagement and more in departmental leadership. When you have a department united like this, clearly there is a problem.”
When asked what steps he and other HSU officers would like to see, Kijsriopas replied, “The damage to morale and the risk to campus safety is too great – it’s past time we had a new chief.”
The Statewide University Police Association represents law enforcement officers on all twenty-three California State University campuses.