ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan had ended contracts with undercover security personnel after a report accused the university of using investigators to surveil pro-Palestinian groups on campus.
Domenico Grasso, the university’s interim president, released a statement about ending the contracts on Sunday, June 8, just days after The Guardian reported that the university was using undercover investigators to surveil pro-Palestinian groups on campus.
In two interactions that were captured on video, a student told The Guardian that a man had been trailing them and faked disabilities when confronted, and falsely accused the student of trying to rob him.
The private investigators are also accused of cursing at students, threatening them, and “in one case drove a car at a student who had to jump out of the way,” according to the newspaper’s report.
Grasso said the university recently learned about a security contractor that was acting in “disturbing, unacceptable, and unethical” ways, prompting them to end contracts with plainclothes security vendors.
Here’s Grasso’s full statement about ending the contracts:
Dear Colleagues and Students,
At the University of Michigan, simultaneously keeping our campus safe and welcoming is a top priority. It’s a promise we make to our students, faculty, staff, patients, and visitors.
Many dedicated people work hard every day to ensure our campus remains secure, and I am grateful for their commitment. Our Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) leads these efforts, supported at times by outside firms that assist with building security, crowd management, and threat identification.
In July of 2024, as part of our security strategy, it was decided to augment our organic resources with outside firms to use plainclothes security personnel—a common approach for large, high-traffic areas such as hospitals, sports venues, shopping malls, and college campuses. These individuals were intended to help us keep watch over our campus and enable us to respond quickly to emergencies. However, we are clear: no individual or group should ever be targeted for their beliefs or affiliations.
We recently learned that an employee of one of our security contractors has acted in ways that go against our values and directives. What happened was disturbing, unacceptable, and unethical, and we will not tolerate it.
Going forward, we are terminating all contracts with external vendors to provide plainclothes security on campus.
We encourage anyone who sees or experiences inappropriate behavior by an employee or contractor to contact DPSS or the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office, where staff will promptly address all reports.
I’ve heard from many of you about the importance of ensuring both trust and security on our three campuses, and I share those priorities. I’m also inspired by the deep care our community shows for one another. Thank you for standing together to uphold our values and keep each other safe.
Sincerely,
Domenico Grasso, PhD
President
University of Michigan Interim President Domenico Grasso
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