PDP 202–04: Public Safety Advisory Committee

To establish the Public Safety Advisory Committee as an official advisory committee at ASU

University president

The Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) was created to assure that the ASU Police Department (ASU PD) remains responsive to the needs of the campuses and local communities and to provide the university administration with regular input on issues surrounding crime abatement, law enforcement, public safety, and emergency preparedness. The major role is advisory and consultative.

ASU PD operations and policy shall remain the managerial responsibilities of the chief of the ASU PD.

The following is from the Charter and Bylaws of PSAC.

The Public Safety Advisory Committee is a permanent body, created by and responsible to the campus administrative service officers (CASOs). Typical functions of the PSAC include:

1. receiving comments and suggestions from the public at large
2. facilitating communication between relevant parties, especially the ASU PD, the campuses, and local communities
3. offering advice related to crime abatement, law enforcement, public safety, and emergency preparedness
4. supporting measures that enhance the foundations of safety and security upon which the university is built

   and

5. reviewing certain complaints against the Police Department and/or its members, examining the relevant circumstances thereof, and making recommendations as needed.

1. Bylaws to govern the work of the PSAC are established by approval of two-thirds of the voting membership of the committee and ratification by the CASOs.
2. Amendments to bylaws may be implemented by majority vote of the voting members of the committee, subject to approval by the CASOs.
3. All members of the committee, except the chief of the Police Department and the ASU general counsel, shall have full and equal participatory rights on the committee, including, but not limited to, the right to vote on all matters presented to the committee. The chief of the Police Department and the ASU general counsel serve as nonvoting ex-officio members.
4. Matters may be brought to the attention of the PSAC in any of the following ways:
   
   1. Topics, questions, concerns, or complaints may be referred to the committee by the university president or the CASOs through the chair of the committee.
   2. Topics, questions, concerns, or complaints may be introduced by members of the PSAC.
   3. Topics, questions, concerns, or complaints may be introduced by the chair of the PSAC.

5. The following are guidelines and policies for the disposition of matters brought before the PSAC. The objective of these policies is to promote orderly and timely accomplishment of the business of the committee, and to allow for needed change in these policies without undue effort.
   
   1. Business before the committee and its subcommittees will be conducted informally until such time as one member requests instigation of formal procedures, at which time Robert’s Rules of Order will apply.
   2. Matters brought to the attention of the committee will require written disposition, so that the committee’s position is understandable and a matter of record.
   3. Statements by any member of the committee are understood to be expressions of the individual and not of the committee, unless there has been committee action resulting in written disposition.
   4. Meetings of the committee shall normally be open meetings. However, discussions of student and personnel matters and other sensitive areas will be held in executive session. The committee shall go into executive session upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members present and/or upon the advice of legal counsel. Executive sessions are restricted to regular listed members and by invitation of the committee only.
   5. The chair of the committee may appoint subcommittees and make assignments to subcommittees.
   6. Subcommittees will report to the committee. Progress reports will be expected at each committee meeting until final subcommittee recommendations are ready to report.
   7. Final recommendations of subcommittees will be given to the committee with a written copy for each member.
   8. The committee as a whole will determine the form and content of final disposition of matters upon which it deliberates. If controversy or disagreement remains, minority opinions may be part of the committee’s final written disposition.
   9. Committee reports will be forwarded to the CASOs by the chair of the committee.

6. A quorum for conducting business shall be half of the voting membership.

The PSAC shall be composed of an executive committee made up of the chairs of the PSAC serving on each campus branch of the PSAC and the respective CASO.

1. The executive committee shall meet at least two times during an academic year.
2. The executive committee may meet more often if deemed necessary or requested by the CASO.
3. The executive committee shall be the deciding voice on all issues relevant to the PSAC or on any interests relating to the university as a whole that come before the executive committee for consideration.
4. The executive committee shall be responsible for relaying information back to each respective PSAC branch.

The PSAC shall have a branch on each Arizona State University campus.

1. Each branch of the PSAC shall elect a chair and chair-elect as described in the Officer’s section.
2. Each branch of the PSAC shall have standing members as described in the Membership section but may add additional members as deemed appropriate for the respective campus.
3. Each branch of the PSAC shall have the authority to invite members of the campus community or local communities to any meeting to serve as consultants or to serve on ad hoc committees.

The PSAC shall comprise voting members and nonvoting ex-officio members.

Membership terms coincide with the university fiscal year.

Student members shall be appointed to one-year student membership terms by ASASU with the approval of the respective CASO and are eligible to serve any number of such terms, but not more than six such terms consecutively.

Nonvoting ex-officio members are appointed by virtue of their office and therefore are eligible to serve in that capacity for the duration of their tenure in that office.

Any member may be represented by a designee of his or her choosing. A designee shall retain the rights and privileges of membership and is subject to the eligibility requirements ascribed to the member he or she represents. A designee may serve as a continuing designee or as an ad-hoc designee. A continuing designee shall be approved by the CASO. The member shall notify the chair before an ad-hoc designee participates in an official PSAC function. The member represented by a designee is responsible for the actions of the designee at official PSAC functions.

Voting members on each campus shall include:

One member from the ASU PD at large
Student representation (number to be determined by each campus)
All other voting membership representation to be determined by each campus

Nonvoting ex-officio members shall include:

General Counsel, Office of General Counsel
Chief, Police Department

Members may represent one or more affiliations if they so qualify, but are not required to do so.

Additional members may be added to the committee by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting members and confirmation by the respective CASO.

The committee will elect, by affirmative vote of a simple majority, a chair, chair-elect, and secretary who shall serve one-year officer terms at the pleasure of the committee and the CASO. Those elected shall perform the duties normally associated with such offices.

Nonvoting ex-officio members are not eligible to serve as chair or chair-elect.

A voting member or continuing designee is eligible to serve as chair-elect beginning in the first year of service as a member.

A voting member or continuing designee is eligible to serve as chair beginning in the second year of service as a member or upon completion of one year of service as chair-elect.

The chair is eligible to serve any number of one-year officer terms, but not more than two such terms consecutively.

The chair is eligible to serve concurrently as chair-elect to provide a second consecutive one-year officer term as chair.

At the end of the chair’s term, the chair-elect shall become the chair as a matter of course.

Upon majority vote and approval by the CASO, the committee may take action as necessary to address circumstances not within the scope of these provisions and may override these provisions to ensure the interests of the PSAC mission.

Each branch of the PSAC shall determine appropriate standing subcommittees.

The committee will meet every other month in regular session during the academic year, unless the chair, in consultation with the members, cancels the regular meeting. Provisions shall be made by the members available in the summer months for meetings during the summer.

Additional regular or emergency meetings may be scheduled as needed, by advance notification of all committee members by the chair.

The committee shall submit an annual report of the activities to the CASO.

For information on complaints against ASU PD, see PDP 203–01, “Complaints against ASU Police Department Personnel.”

  skip navigation bar