Harvard University Police Department

The Harvard University Police Department (HUPD), a private police agency of Harvard University, is a full-service police department responsible for the safety and security of students, faculty, staff, and visitors at the university’s Cambridge and Boston campuses. The HUPD’s chief of police, since April 27, 2021, is Victor Clay, who succeeded long-time police chief Francis D. “Bud” Riley. The chief performs his duties under the direction of the university’s general counsel, Diane Lopez.

Divisions

 * Patrol Division
 * Criminal Investigation Division
 * Dignitary Protection Unit

Law Enforcement Authority
All sworn members of the Harvard University Police Department are sworn as special state police officers under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 22C Section 63. This gives them full powers of arrest in and upon all property owned or controlled by Harvard University. Additionally, all officers hold commissions as deputy sheriffs for Middlesex County and Suffolk County, which gives them powers of arrest throughout Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston, where Harvard has facilities.

Police logs controversy
The HUPD has been the target of requests for greater transparency in the records it keeps or publishes about its officers’ actions. This culminated in The Harvard Crimson v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, et al. in 2003 where the Harvard student daily newspaper filed suit against HUPD in Massachusetts Superior Court. The case was ultimately transferred to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and won by the University in January 2006.