UPPS Data

UPPS understands the importance of providing key information to the public as it relates to the role of law enforcement in the community. Therefore, through our Transparency and Accountability Initiative, the public now has access to various data and information related to use of force, arrests and more. Moving forward, data will be released on an annual basis no later than March of the following calendar year. 

Use of Force Data 

University Police and Public Safety at Penn State defines force as all actions above non-resistant compliant handcuffing. Unresisting (cooperative) handcuffing occurs when the subject complies with the officer’s verbal commands and/or willingly allows the officers to position their arms in order to apply handcuffs, or the subject positions their arm as commanded for the application of handcuffs.

A use of force incident is classified as one single episode of Use of Force against an individual.

Use of force reports are documented by each officer who used force during an encounter with an individual or group. It is possible that there may be several Use of Force reports documented for one individual person or group. Therefore, at times, there could be more total uses of force than there are individuals involved in a use of force incident.

The processes and procedures surrounding use of force reporting requirements will remain a priority. Ensuring UPPS is in line with all expectations and best practices will be reviewed annually and appropriate changes will be made when necessary.

The information listed below highlights all use of force incidents and reports along with a breakdown of all force cases in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, demographic information, affiliation with the University, drug or alcohol involvement, and type of force used. When multiple categories of force were used, only the highest level of force applied is listed.

Note: The Neighborhood Enforcement Alcohol Team (NEAT) is a joint initiative between UPPS and the State College Police Department.  The program is designed to provide visible police presence in the Highland and Holmes-Foster neighborhoods, both of which are predominant Greek-life locations, to proactively address quality of life issues through positive contacts and consistent enforcement.

2022 Use of Force Data by Race/Ethnicity
  White African American Hispanic Asian Other Total 
Restraint Empty Hands 6 1 2 2 0 11
Restraint Baton 0 0 0 0 0 0
Restraint Handcuffing 5 0 11 2 2 20
Baton Strike 0 0 0 0 0 0
OC Deployment 0 0 0 0 0 0
OC Discharge  0 0 0 0 0 0
Taser Deployment  0 1 1 0 2 4
Taser Discharge 0 0 0 0 1 1
Firearm Deployment  5 6 1 0 1 13
Firearm Discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total  16 8 15 4 6 49

 

2021 Use of Force Data by Race/Ethnicity
  White African American Hispanic Asian Other Total
Restraint Empty Hands 27 2 1 0 0 30
Restraint Baton 0 0 0 0 0 0
Restraint Handcuffing 15 0 0 0 0 15
Baton Strike 0 0 0 0 0 0
OC Deployment 0 0 0 0 0 0
OC Discharge  0 0 0 0 0 0
Taser Deployment  2 0 0 0 0 2
Taser Discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0
Firearm Deployment  6 2 0 0 0 8
Firearm Discharge 0 0 0 0 1 1
Total  50 4 1 0 1 56

 

2020 Use of Force Data by Race/Ethnicity
  White African American Hispanic Asian Other Total 
Number of Individuals  15 3 0 0 2 20
Restraint Empty Hands 5 0 0 0 0 5
Restraint Baton 0 0 0 0 0 0
Restraint Handcuffing 8 3 0 0 3 14
Baton Strike 0 0 0 0 0 0
OC Deployment 0 0 0 0 0 0
OC Discharge  0 0 0 0 0 0
Taser Deployment  1 1 0 0 0 2
Taser Discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0
Firearm Deployment  2 0 0 0 1 3
Firearm Discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total  16 4 0 0 4 24

 

2019 Use of Force Data by Race/Ethnicity
  White African American Hispanic Asian Other Total 
Number of Individuals  39 4 1 1 2 47
Restraint Empty Hands 19 0 0 0 0 19
Restraint Baton 0 0 1 0 0 1
Restraint Handcuffing 37 4 1 3 1 46
Baton Strike 0 0 0 0 0 0
OC Deployment 0 0 0 0 0 0
OC Discharge  0 1 0 0 0 1
Taser Deployment  3 0 1 0 0 4
Taser Discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0
Firearm Deployment  9 0 0 0 1 10
Firearm Discharge 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total  68 5 3 3 2 81

 

Definitions:

Deployment – Any time either an intermediate weapon (Taser or OC) or a firearm is removed from a holster or mount while on duty.

Discharge – Any time either an intermediate weapon (Taser or OC) or a firearm is used or fired while on duty.

Arrest Data

 

 

2022 Arrest Data - Penn State University Police and Public Safety
Campus Location District White African American / Black American Indian / Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander Race Total Hispanic Non-Hispanic Ethnicity Total
Altoona CENTRAL 20 3 0 3 0 26 1 25 26
Carlisle CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Harrisburg CENTRAL 3 8 0 5 0 16 1 15 16
Hazleton CENTRAL 1 2 0 0 0 3 0 3 3
Mont Alto CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Schuylkill CENTRAL 6 2 0 0 0 8 1 7 8
York CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total Central 30 15 0 8 0 53 3 50 53
Abington EASTERN 2 2 0 2 0 6 1 5 6
Berks EASTERN 1 3 0 0 0 4 1 3 4
Brandywine EASTERN 9 3 0 2 0 14 1 13 14
Great Valley EASTERN 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 2
Lehigh Valley EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wilkes-Barre EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Worthington Scranton EASTERN 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 2
Total Eastern 14 10 0 4 0 28 4 24 28
Beaver WESTERN 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 3
DuBois WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Erie WESTERN 5 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 5
Fayette WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Greater Allegheny WESTERN 12 12 0 2 0 26 2 24 26
New Kensington WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shenango WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total  Western 20 12 0 2 0 34 2 32 34
University Park UNIVERSITY PARK 353 47 1 49 0 450 23 427 450
Total ALL UPPS 417 84 1 63 0 565 32 533 565

 

2021 Arrest Data - Penn State University Police and Public Safety
Campus Location District White African American / Black American Indian / Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander Race Total Hispanic Non-Hispanic Ethnicity Total
Altoona CENTRAL 9 3 0 4 0 16 0 16 16
Carlisle CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Harrisburg CENTRAL 3 1 0 0 0 4 1 3 4
Hazleton CENTRAL 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
Mont Alto CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Schuylkill CENTRAL 7 0 0 0 0 7 1 6 7
York CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total Central 20 4 0 4 0 28 2 26 28
Abington EASTERN 6 5 0 4 0 15 0 15 15
Berks EASTERN 4 1 0 0 0 5 0 5 5
Brandywine EASTERN 5 5 0 0 0 10 2 8 10
Great Valley EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lehigh Valley EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wilkes-Barre EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Worthington Scranton EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total Eastern 15 11 0 4 0 30 2 28 30
Beaver WESTERN 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2
DuBois WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Erie WESTERN 15 3 0 3 0 21 1 20 21
Fayette WESTERN 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
Greater Allegheny WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
New Kensington WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shenango WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total  Western 18 3 0 3 0 24 1 23 24
University Park UP 334 37 0 36 0 407 23 384 407
Total ALL UPPS 387 55 0 47 0 489 28 461 489

 

2020 Arrest Data - Penn State University Police and Public Safety
Campus Location District White Black American Indian / Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander Race Total Hispanic Non Hispanic Ethnicity Total
PSCR CT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PSHB CT 4 3 0 3 0 10 0 10 10
PSMA CT 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 2
PSYK CT 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
ALL CENTRAL CENTRAL DISTRCT TOTAL  5 5 0 3 0 13 0 13 13
PSHN NE 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 2
PSLV NE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PSSL NE 2 2 0 0 0 4 0 4 4
PSWB NE 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1
PSWS NE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL NORTHEAST  NORTHEAST DISTRICT TOTAL 2 4 0 1 0 7 0 7 7
PSBR NW 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 2
PSDS NW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PSER NW 17 2 0 0 0 19 2 17 19
PSSH NW 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
ALL NORTHWEST  NORTHWEST DISTRICT TOTAL  18 4 0 0 0 22 2 20 22
PSAB SE 3 1 0 0 0 4 0 4 4
PSBK SE 17 6 0 5 0 28 1 27 28
PSBW SE 6 5 0 2 0 13 1 12 13
PSGV SE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL SOUTHEAST SOUTHEAST DISTRICT TOTAL  26 12 0 7 0 45 2 43 45
PSAL SW 25 5 0 0 0 30 1 29 30
PSFE SW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PSGA SW 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 2
PSNK SW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL SOUTHWEST SOUTHWEST DISTRICT TOTAL   25 7 0 0 0 32 1 31 32
PSUP UP 380 54 0 37 0 471 21 450 471
ALL UPPS CAMPUSES   UPPS CAMPUS TOTAL  456 86 0 48 0 590 26 564 590

 

2019 Arrest Data - Penn State University Police and Public Safety
Campus Location District White Black American Indian / Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander Race Total Hispanic Not Hispanic Ethnicity Total
PSHB Central 14 4 0 5 0 23 1 22 23
PSMA Central 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
PSYK Central 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL CENTRAL CENTRAL DISTRCT TOTAL  14 4 0 5 0 24 1 23 24
PSHN Northeast 4 3 0 0 0 7 2 5 7
PSLV Northeast 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
PSSL Northeast 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
PSWB Northeast 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PSWS Northeast 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL NORTHEAST  NORTHEAST DISTRICT TOTAL 6 3 0 0 0 9 2 7 9
PSBR Northwest 2 4 0 0 0 6 0 6 6
PSDS Northwest 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PSER Northwest 4 1 0 0 0 5 0 5 5
PSSH Northwest 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL NORTHWEST  NORTHWEST DISTRICT TOTAL  6 5 0 0 0 11 0 11 11
PSAB Southeast 6 4 0 2 0 12 3 9 12
PSBK Southeast 11 7 0 1 0 19 3 16 19
PSBW Southeast 32 18 0 2 0 52 0 52 52
PSGV Southeast 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL SOUTHEAST SOUTHEAST DISTRICT TOTAL  49 29 0 5 0 83 6 77 83
PSAL Southwest 51 7 0 2 0 60 1 59 60
PSFE Southwest 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PSGA Southwest 5 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 5
PSNK Southwest 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL SOUTHWEST SOUTHWEST DISTRICT TOTAL   56 7 0 2 0 65 1 64 65
PSUP University Park 722 100 0 63 0 885 30 855 885
ALL UPPS CAMPUSES   UPPS CAMPUS TOTAL  853 148 0 75 0 1,077 40 1,037 1,077

Citizen Complaint Data 

UPPS demands professionalism at all times. When that professional expectation is not met for any reason, officers are held accountable for their actions. 

UPPS categorizes complaints as either “Service Complaints” or “Professional Standards Investigations.”  

  • Service Complaints are defined as citizen complaints concerning an officer’s level of professional service and/or demeanor during an interaction with a member of the community.  
  • Professional Standards Investigations are conducted when an accusation is brought against an officer that alleges the officer violated any elements of established UPPS policy or the law.  

Regardless of whether a complaint is classified as a Service Complaint or Professional Standards Investigation, a department supervisor is assigned to follow up and thoroughly investigate the complaint. These investigations follow a strict set of established guidelines to determine whether or not there was a failure to adhere to professional expectations and/or a violation of UPPS policy or law. If an investigation is founded, meaning the accusation was determined to be factual, officers could face a variety of disciplinary actions up to and including termination.  

2022

UPPS received 13 total complaints

  • 1 was categorized as a Service Complaint
    • 1 was unfounded
  • 12 were categorized as Professional Standards Investigations
    • 6 were founded
    • 6 were unfounded

2021

UPPS received 20 total complaints

  • 3 were categorized as Service Complaints
    • 1 was founded
    • 2 were unfounded
  • 17 were categorized as Professional Standards Investigations
    • 11 were founded
    • 6 were unfounded

2020 

UPPS received 8 total complaints 

  • 5 were categorized as Service Complaints 
    • 1 was founded  
    • 4 were unfounded 
  • 3 were categorized as Professional Standards Investigations 
    • 3 were founded 

2019 

UPPS received 33 total complaints 

  • 17 were categorized as Service Complaints 
    • 5 were founded  
    • 12 were unfounded 
  • 16 were categorized as Professional Standards Investigations 
    • 8 were founded 
    • 8 were unfounded 

All complaints are thoroughly investigated. In cases where the result of the investigation determined the complaint to be founded, the officer accused of wrongdoing was held accountable for their actions, through the appropriate training, corrective action or disciplinary measure. 

Your constructive comments about our service, positive or negative, will help us improve and achieve our goals. At any time, Penn State community members can file complaints or commendations about our police officers through our online form. 

Traffic Stops & Citations

In 2017, University Police and Public Safety began to centralize Penn State’s police units into one cohesive police agency, University Police. Prior to centralization, 22 Penn State campuses housed individual police departments with campus-specific policies, procedures, and practices, including record keeping. Since centralization, UPPS leadership has worked diligently to streamline policies, procedures, and practices following industry standards and guidelines from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

As part of the centralization process, UPPS adopted a new electronic record-keeping system that was rolled out to 21 campuses in a phased approach, which was completed in mid-2020. Beginning in 2021, the centralized department will be able to track collective data on an annual basis, including traffic stop, citation and arrest data. The department is also developing a mechanism to better track day to day interactions with citizens by utilizing contact cards. Data related to this newly improved tracking effort will allow us to publish annual data collected from the contact cards.

 

2022 Traffic Stops and Citations Data
Campus Location District White African American / Black American Indian / Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander Race Total Hispanic Non-Hispanic Ethnicity Total
Altoona CENTRAL 24 3 0 1 0 28 1 27 28
Carlisle CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Harrisburg CENTRAL 86 40 0 39 0 165 11 154 165
Hazleton CENTRAL 9 3 0 1 0 13 2 11 13
Mont Alto CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Schuylkill CENTRAL 4 1 0 0 0 5 0 5 5
York CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total Central 123 47 0 41 0 211 14 197 211
Abington EASTERN 6 1 0 1 0 8 0 8 8
Berks EASTERN 10 4 0 0 0 14 3 11 14
Brandywine EASTERN 41 16 0 4 0 61 3 58 61
Great Valley EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lehigh Valley EASTERN 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
Wilkes-Barre EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Worthington Scranton EASTERN 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
Total Eastern 59 21 0 5 0 85 6 79 85
Beaver WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DuBois WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Erie Behrend WESTERN 10 2 0 1 0 13 1 12 13
Fayette WESTERN 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 3 3
Greater Allegheny WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
New Kensington WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shenango WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total  Western 12 3 0 1 0 16 1 15 16
University Park UP 512 73 0 152 1 738 20 718 738
Total ALL UPPS 706 144 0 199 1 1050 41 1009 1050

 

2021 Traffic Stops and Citations Data
Campus Location District White African American / Black American Indian / Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander Race Total Hispanic Non-Hispanic Ethnicity Total
Altoona CENTRAL 7 1 0 0 0 8 0 8 8
Carlisle CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Harrisburg CENTRAL 83 23 1 24 0 131 19 112 131
Hazleton CENTRAL 7 1 0 0 0 8 1 7 8
Mont Alto CENTRAL 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2
Schuylkill CENTRAL 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 3
York CENTRAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total Central 102 25 1 24 0 152 20 132 152
Abington EASTERN 19 7 0 4 0 30 2 28 30
Berks EASTERN 20 3 0 1 0 24 7 17 24
Brandywine EASTERN 78 17 0 6 0 101 3 98 101
Great Valley EASTERN 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
Lehigh Valley EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wilkes-Barre EASTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Worthington Scranton EASTERN 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2
Total Eastern 120 27 0 11 0 158 12 146 158
Beaver WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DuBois WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Erie WESTERN 4 2 0 0 0 6 0 6 6
Fayette WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Greater Allegheny WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
New Kensington WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shenango WESTERN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total  Western 4 2 0 0 0 6 0 6 6
University Park UP 263 50 1 72 0 386 14 372 386
Total ALL UPPS 489 104 2 107 0 702 46 656 702

 

 

 

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