‘Hostility, fear and distrust.’ Penn State police officers renew push for leadership change
The union that represents Penn State police officers sent the university’s president and board of trustees a letter Sunday night as part of a renewed effort to remove the department’s leader.
The union’s September 2018 “vote of no confidence” in Police and Public Safety Assistant Vice President Charlie Noffsinger was ignored by senior university officials, so the association is now pushing the board to investigate its “overwhelming concerns,” Police Officers’ Association President Josh Quimby wrote in a three-page letter.
“While we lament the need to write this letter, to not do so would be a disservice to the employees that we represent and the communities that they serve,” Quimby wrote. “We are confident that if you all take the time with an open mind to look deeply at the complete situation, each of you would lose confidence in Noffsinger’s ability to lead (university police and public safety) and would see there is no other choice but to remove Noffsinger from his command of UPPS.”
A Penn State spokesperson responded Monday in an emailed statement on behalf of the university and board of trustees, saying the letter “contains a number of factual errors and misconceptions.”
The union claimed the department lacks basic resources, like radios and vehicles, is understaffed and requires officers to work “excessive amounts” of overtime at various university campuses.
The university disputed that, saying overtime hours have dropped 22% since last year and staffing at most campus locations is at an all-time high.
The university’s physical plant office is also conducting a campus-by-campus review to ensure all of its facilities meet accreditation and FBI standards, and the university’s operational needs.
The letter comes less than one year after vexed bargaining discussions, which resulted in the union and university ratifying its first-ever labor agreement in March.
The union argued university officials chalked its “vote of no confidence” up to a bargaining tactic, “which was a grossly inaccurate assessment of the situation and a failure to properly respond and investigate an overwhelming display of employee distress,” Quimby wrote.
The department’s work environment continues to be filled with “hostility, fear and distrust” and there have been no effective changes since the agreement was ratified, Quimby wrote.
He mentioned a federal Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit filed in December against Penn State by a former university police officer, which cited increases in required overtime as a factor in the officer’s declining health.
The university did not respond to the lawsuit as of Monday.
“We continue to fail to retain quality officers due to the flagrant disregard of officers’ concerns with their working conditions, all of which are newly formed under Noffsinger’s design,” Quimby wrote. “The response of ‘just deal with it’ is simply unacceptable in any professional working environment.”
A peer review completed last summer by third-parties familiar with police and safety operations found the university’s organization is “extremely high-functioning and is positioned well for the future,” the university said.
In addition, an external consultant was hired to conduct interviews with numerous internal and external stakeholders to gather feedback across the university.
Interviews were completed this month, and results, recommendations and goals for ongoing improvement are expected to be provided. The initiative is scheduled to continue into spring 2021.
“These are just a few examples of leadership actions taken within UPPS by Noffsinger as the unit works toward full reorganization and continuous use of best practices,” the university said. “It is Penn State’s overall goal to maintain a safe and secure environment for visitors, students, faculty and staff, and we believe that mission is being effectively accomplished.”
Noffsinger, who has overseen all facets of the university’s police and public safety operations since May 2016, did not respond Monday to additional requests for comment.
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.