Police Services Bureau
The Police Services Bureau oversees the Patrol Division, Investigative Division, Special Operations Division, and Emergency Management Division..
Patrol Division
Patrol Division officers are available to respond to emergency and non-emergency incidents 24-hours a day, every day of the year. Police officers are highly trained and receive ongoing education and development to respond to any situation they may encounter by focusing on the quality of the interaction to achieve the best outcome possible.
Investigative Division
Detectives with the Investigative Division investigate all crimes that occur on-campus and attend numerous training sessions to remain current with best practices for law enforcement investigation. Specialized detectives are assigned to the Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime Unit and conduct digital forensic investigations and examinations involving computers, mobile devices, digital media, servers, networks, internet service providers, and cyber enabled crimes.
Special Operations Division
The Special Operations Division has the responsibility for planning and coordinating safety and security for all events that occur on-campus. A team of dual-purpose explosive canines and vapor wake canines and their handlers assist with this effort of providing enhanced security for events.
Emergency Management Division
The Emergency Management Division provides the MSU community with emergency management and fire code inspection services. In 2017, MSU became the fifth higher education institution in the nation to become accredited in emergency management planning. Within the Emergency Management Division, the MSU Police Fire Safety Unit oversees regulations intended to protect life and property from a fire through fire safety inspections, code compliance and training.
Emergency Management is responsible for all of the University’s plans for disaster response, including the Emergency Operations Plan. That plan provides a comprehensive set of guidelines for directing resources before, during, and after campus emergencies and disasters. The Division is very proactive in training and exercising all police officers and the community for emergency prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Training and exercising include preparing first responders, University units, and coordinating with units of the local, state, and federal government.
Community Support Bureau
The Community Support Bureau includes the Special Victims Unit (SVU), Center for Trauma-Informed Investigative Excellence, and the Community Care Unit, and provides trauma informed, inclusive and accessible service to MSU students, staff, faculty and visitors.
The Special Victims Unit (SVU) is committed to ensuring that all survivors are treated with courtesy, sensitivity, dignity, understanding, and professionalism. The SVU investigates sex crimes, relationship violence, stalking and harassment, child abuse, vulnerable adult abuse, and missing persons. The detectives and officers assigned to the Special Victims Unit have received specialized training to investigate cases using trauma informed, victim-centered and offender-focused practices while recognizing intersectional identities within RVSM incidents to provide support and resources that are inclusive and accessible. SVU detectives and officers collaborate with campus/community partners to minimize additional trauma to survivors.
The Center for Trauma-Informed Investigative Excellence (Center) was established in 2018 to provide training to law enforcement and other professionals on trauma-informed investigations to assist survivors of sexual misconduct, relationship violence, stalking, harassment and child abuse. The Center uses a multi-disciplinary approach to teach first responders, clinicians, support agencies, prosecutors and others to understand the impact of trauma. Professionals can provide an experience that supports healing and recovery with less chance of re-traumatizing the survivor.
The Community Care Unit is comprised of detectives and officers who respond to reports of students, employees, or others on campus who have engaged in behavior indicating a possible threat of harm to self or other members of the community, or who need personal mental health or behavioral health resources. Members of the Community Care Unit also serve on the MSU Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) and the MSU Behavioral Threat Assessment Team (BTAT).
Public Safety Bureau
The Public Safety Bureau houses the Access Control Division, Parking Division, Technology Unit, and Traffic Engineering Unit.
Access Control Division
The Access Control Division is responsible for physical security, access control, and alarm monitoring for various buildings on campus.
Parking Division
The vehicle office maintains the faculty, staff and student vehicle registrations, as well as parking services, including parking enforcement, impounds, and visitor parking.
Technology Unit
The Technology Unit maintains the department’s information technology infrastructure to support all operations in the department.
Traffic Engineering Unit
It is the general duty of the University Traffic Engineer to determine the installation, proper timing, and maintenance of traffic control devices; to plan and direct the operation of traffic on streets within the boundaries of Michigan State University; to establish parking areas, designating limitation and use; and to certify the installation, removal, and/or authorization of traffic control devices and signs.