Skip to main content
Support

Journalism that gets results for Pennsylvania

Main content

Where is Penn State's promised campus police data?

Plus, flag-burning political activist sues State College.

SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT PA
This is Talk of the Town, a free weekly newsletter delivering top news from State College and the surrounding region.


January 5, 2023
💕 Love Talk of the Town? Share it with your friends! We're so close to our goal of 2,000 subscribers. Help get us there ⭐ Did a friend forward this email to you? Click here to sign up.
Inside this edition: Police data deadline missed, a new and unexpected PA House speaker, and Williamsport environmental cleanup ongoing.
DATA DELAY

The Penn State Transparency Tracker is an ongoing effort by Spotlight PA to document and share the ways in which the university is, and is not, being transparent with the community. Due to its special “state-related” designation, Penn State is not subject to open records laws beyond the public disclosure of basic financial information.

Following campus protests in 2020 demanding greater racial justice, Penn State’s University Police and Public Safety division launched a "transparency and accountability initiative" and pledged to publish data related to use of force, arrests, citizen complaints, and traffic stops.

A senior vice president at Penn State described the move in December 2020 as “an example of the department’s dedication to being responsive to the Penn State community and the ongoing dialogue regarding equity and justice.”

On their website, university police write that “data will be released on an annual basis no later than March of the following calendar year.” According to this schedule, data for 2021 should have been available by March 2022.

However, as of early January, the most recent data available online is from 2020.

Why has the university not released data for 2021? Spotlight PA asked Penn State police the following questions:

  1. Why has the university not released UPPS data from 2021?

  2. When will the 2021 data be released? 

  3. Does UPPS expect to release data for 2022 by March 2023, as stated in its pledge to provide key information to the public? 

Penn State responded in an email:

“Unfortunately, the 2021 data has been delayed as it requires checks from other areas across the University and we are currently in the process of receiving that evaluated data,” Jacqueline Sheader, a public information officer with campus police, wrote in mid-December. “It is our intention to provide pertinent data on our website in as timely a manner as possible.”

Seeking clarity, Spotlight PA followed up with these questions:

  1. Could you please provide a bit more information about what “checks from other areas across the university” means? What departments have to check or approve the data before UPPS can release it?

  2. Does UPPS expect a delay similar to the ongoing one for 2021 data for the release of 2022 data?

University police did not respond to these questions or a follow-up email sent two weeks later. 

Based on that information, here’s what you need to know:

Penn State police missed their own deadline for publishing 2021 data on use of force, arrests, citizen complaints, and traffic stops. It remains unclear when that information will be released, as well as who in the university must check or approve the police data before it is made public.

Have an idea for the Penn State Transparency Tracker? Submit tips or questions to wmassey@spotlightpa.org. You can also share documents and other materials to help make our reporting more robust. Read more about sharing such information here

Wyatt MasseyPenn State investigative reporter

SUPPORT THIS WORK
Support Spotlight PA's vital investigative and public service reporting in the State College region.
Spotlight PA provides vital news and information for State College & the surrounding region. From our investigative reports to news from our towns to our public-service initiatives, this is vital work that no one else is producing.

Help keep a vital pillar of our communities and democracy strong by supporting home-grown investigative and public service journalism right here in Pennsylvania. Make a tax-deductible gift now »

You can also give via PayPal using this link.
 
📝 FROM SPOTLIGHT PA
» Pennsylvania House picks Democratic lawmaker as new speaker with small but crucial GOP support

» Mark Rozzi is the new speaker of the Pennsylvania House. Here’s what you need to know.

» Century-old law let voters file baseless recount petitions and delay Pa.’s election certification
📷 LOCAL GEM
Driver's-side sky, via Cathy W.

Want to be featured here? Send your best local pics to talkofthetown@spotlightpa.org.
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
» Higgins elected Centre County Board of Commissioners chair (StateCollege.com)

» Flag-burning political activist sues State College, alleges violation of First Amendment (Centre Daily Times)

» Coalport Councilman Manges submits resignation (The Progress)

» Hollidaysburg talks stormwater regulations (Altoona Mirror)

» Cleanup continues at Williamsport superfund site (Williamsport Sun-Gazette)
📅 EVENTS
Want us to list your event? Send it to us.

» Now-Jan. 8: See the holiday lights on the lake in Altoona.

» Jan. 7: View the short films of legendary filmmaker George Méliès as part of The State Theatre's Silent film Series. 

» Jan. 7:
Lace up your sneakers and join State College Road Runners for a group run.
Support Spotlight PA's vital investigative and public service reporting in the State College region.
🧩 THE PUZZLER
An anagram is a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another. For example, "spotlight" also forms "stoplight."

Decode the anagram and send your answer to talkofthetown@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA State College swag.

N I G H T S
 
Good luck!

Last week's answer: Donate

Congrats to
Patricia C., who will receive Spotlight PA State College swag. Others who answered correctly: Donna D., Tish M., Linda A., Jeffrey F., and Don H.
Do you have events, community shoutouts, questions about our region, or tips on stories that we should pursue? Email our team.
 
Love north-central Pennsylvania? Subscribe to Talk of the Town!

Have a friend who would like our work? Share our newsletter!

Our State College bureau depends on your support.

Help us rebuild local news by becoming a member now.

 
SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT PA
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media.

Copyright © Spotlight PA / The Philadelphia Inquirer, All rights reserved.

Spotlight PA
228 Walnut St., #11728
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1728

newsletters@spotlightpa.org

You're receiving this email because you've subscribed to updates from our State College regional bureau covering North-Central PA.


This email was sent to: <<Email Address>>

You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.