We are appalled by what we witnessed this week in Minneapolis. What happened to George Floyd is wrong and unacceptable, and we grieve with his family and the community.
Equality means affording everyone the same protections, rights and opportunities.
At Ohio State, we take pride in building and maintaining relationships of trust. As law enforcement officers, we recognize that in order for the public to trust that police will do the right thing, we must perform our duties with integrity and compassion.
All police officers take the Oath of Office and promise to support the Constitution, protect and serve. We want to reassure our Ohio State community that OSUPD polices our community with five core values in mind: Integrity, Diversity, Innovation, Service and Respect. These values define the culture of our agency and how we interact with the public. They guide our outreach, community programming and relationships with students and minority groups.
OSUPD takes pride in our efforts to recruit, hire and train officers who best reflect the community we serve. Diversity makes us stronger.
In times of struggle, we must come together as Buckeyes to lift each other up. Trust is not built in a day nor demonstrated by how we act only when others are watching. Trust must be earned by repeatedly doing what is right, looking for opportunities to improve, and partnering with the community to enhance safety for all – equally. This is what we have aspired to do, and we will continue to engage our community in these efforts going forward.
Monica Moll, Director of Public Safety
Kimberly Spears-McNatt, Chief, The Ohio State University Police Division