Morgan State University leaders on Monday said they found concerns expressed by the union for its police officers “unexpected and surprising,” after the union called for changes within the police department following MSU’s third homecoming week shooting in as many years.

A week after an Oct. 3 shooting that wounded five people, including four Morgan State students, sworn Morgan State police officers sent a letter from their union to university leaders requesting an “urgent” reevaluation of the department’s approach to policing and “questionable decision-making” by Chief Lance Hatcher and the other four members of his command staff.

The 11-page letter cites issues such as police staffing shortages, a failure to “properly” equip on-duty officers and a lack of critical access to all areas on campus, making for a hostile work environment. The document also states that the department has tried to resolve the problems with Hatcher, his command staff and human resources, but that their “concerns have fallen on deaf ears.”

Morgan State officials acknowledged receipt of the letter from the department’s union over the weekend as completely “unexpected and surprising.” Prior to receipt of the letter, a meeting had been scheduled between university leaders and the new leadership of the campus’s Fraternal Order of Police chapter, university officials said.

“The university is committed to conducting a full investigation of all allegations pertaining to the MSUPD and its operations. In the interim, the University remains confident in the abilities of Morgan’s police department under the steady leadership of Chief Lance Hatcher,” Larry Jones, assistant vice president for public relations and strategic communications, said in a written statement. “We thank the members of the MSUPD for their untiring efforts to keep the Morgan community and our campus safe.”

The letter was drafted by Morgan State University FOP Lodge #142. Morgan’s police department has 43 employees, including civilian staff, of whom 29 are active members of the union. All but one of those members participated in drafting the letter to university leadership.

The story continues at The Baltimore Banner: Morgan State police union urges ‘comprehensive’ reform after shooting; campus leaders express surprise

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