"I write on behalf of President Cauce, Provost Richards, and all of us in leadership at the University of Washington to acknowledge your letter dated September 13, 2018 in which you shared concerns about the leadership of Chief John Vinson. We realize that writing such a letter is a significant step for you to take. Issues of community safety, departmental efficiencies, legal and ethical decision-making, and employee morale are of great importance to all of us at the University of Washington.



"The University of Washington Police Department enjoys a positive reputation across campus and we are proud of the work that you, your fellow officers, and administrative staff do to keep the campus safe. Like you, we share the desire of continuous improvement with the goal of having the best campus law enforcement agency in the nation.



"To that end, I will institute a comprehensive review of the UWPD operation, structure, and culture by an independent external agent or agency. The opportunities and goals here are to determine what works well, what immediate opportunities exist for improvement, and how we set ourselves on a path for long term success. In the coming days, I will be in touch with more information on how this will proceed and the timeline for this review.



"Again, thank you for raising your concerns and for your willingness to make the UWPD an even better campus law enforcement agency