CLEVELAND, Ohio - Case Western Reserve University's president called to apologize to Cleveland City Councilman Kevin Conwell, who was stopped and questioned by university police Friday while Conwell was walking through campus.

The university also issued a statement Wednesday, after being contacted about the incident by cleveland.com, again expressing regret that Conwell had been questioned and promising to provide more training to campus officers.

"We deeply regret that Councilman Conwell was stopped and asked for his identification while on our campus and are taking steps -- specifically additional training to address the issues this encounter has raised," the statement said.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Conwell, who is black, said he suspects he was a victim of racial profiling.

Case Western Reserve student called about panhandler prior to officer stopping Cleveland Councilman Kevin Conwell

Listen to the call that led to Cleveland Councilman Kevin Conwell getting stopped

Conwell, whose Ward 9 includes part of the Case campus, said the officer told him there was a report of a black man bothering students. Conwell said he intends to verify that a complaint was filed with campus police.

"I'm minding my own business," Conwell said. "If I can't walk through my own neighborhood, I'm sure they're stopping my residents."

Conwell said he later received the apology from CWRU President Barbara Snyder.

Cleveland.com sought comment from university Police Chief Jay Hodge, but did not get a response.

A member of City Council since 2001, Conwell lives on Ashbury Avenue a short distance north of University Circle. A cancer survivor, the 58-year-old councilman regularly walks for exercise, often traveling through the Case campus to Little Italy and back.

On Friday, as he was walking along Ford Drive north of Mayfield Road, the Case officer pulled up in a cruiser and stopped him, Conwell said. Other officers soon arrived, he said.

Conwell said he asked officers on what basis they were stopping him and if he was being racially profiled.

"Walking while black," he said in his interview Wednesday.

After identifying himself as a council member, Conwell said, the officers said he was free to go.

According to the university's statement, Conwell's hat and jacket matched a description given in a telephoned report complaining of an individual who appeared to be disoriented and approaching students.

Conwell, who was in Washington Wednesday for National League of Cities meetings, said he intends to talk with Snyder and Hodge when he returns to Cleveland. The university's statement said Hodge plans to meet with him on Friday.

On Wednesday, though, Conwell said he is concerned about what could have happened.

What if he had been jogging through the area and didn't realize the officer wanted him to stop, Conwell asked.

"If I wasn't a councilman, I don't know what would have happened," he said.

In its statement, the university said it intends to provide officers with more training.

"The department's police and security officers have participated in extensive training regarding the tenets of community policing and appropriate interactions with members of the community," it said. "We will be providing additional education to all officers within the next few weeks."