UMaine Police Chief Participates in National Discussions

Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — While University of Maine students were away on Spring Break last week, UMaine’s police chief was representing UMaine and college law enforcement at three national programs.

“It Is exciting that UMaine is being recognized as a school with the experience and results to be invited to national-level discussions about community policing and homeland security,” says Noel March, UMaine’s director of Public Safety.  “I was pleased to be able to contribute to the discussion and also to learn about the current thinking and most effective practices in law enforcement.”

March traveled to Washington, D.C. on March 1 to participate in a two-day meeting of the Police Executive Research Forum.  He was one of 35 criminal justice administrators involved in a session entitled “Community Policing in a Security Conscious World.”  March was the only college or university public safety professional invited to participate in the forum, which also involved the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security.

Also in Washington, on March 4 and 5, March was involved in the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerry Lee Center of Criminology Forum on Crime and Justice.  There, he met with Legislative and Executive Branch staff to address specific topics related to criminal justice policy and practice, with the intent of exploring ways the federal government can support specialized law enforcement roles dealing with homeland security.  March also represented higher education law enforcement on a panel discussing “Specialized Police: College Campuses, Indian Nations and the Private Sector.”

On March 6 and 7, March was in Chicago to participate in a weekend-long demonstration disaster drill, in the form of a computer-simulated tabletop exercise, sponsored by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.  The drill was based on a simulated college campus incident involving weapons of mass destruction.

March says that the subjects of homeland security and community policing need to be considered together, especially as they relate to police work at a place like UMaine.

“To preserve the atmosphere of openness that we cherish and to encourage students, faculty and staff as key players in our shared responsibility for keeping this university safe, homeland security concerns can be incorporated into our posture of protection, while still protecting the rights and interests of our community,” he says.