University of Michigan dumping undercover security guards for 'unethical' behavior
The University of Michigan is terminating all contracts with outside firms to provide plainclothes security officers on campus.
Interim President Domenico Grasso announced the decision in a note to the campus community Sunday, just days after media reports of Gaza War protesters being tailed.
The London-based Guardian reported last week that in at least one case caught on video, a plainclothes security officer appeared to fake a disability by pretend he was hearing-impaired when he was confronted by a protester.
"We recently learned that an employee of one of our security contractors has acted in ways that go against our values and directives," Grasso wrote. "What happened was disturbing, unacceptable, and unethical, and we will not tolerate it. Going forward, we are terminating all contracts with external vendors to provide plainclothes security on campus."
The school didn't say what action the security contract took that was unacceptable, but said that an employee was no longer with the company. It also didn't say if the company would still provide uniformed security officers on campus.
In a separate statement, U-M defended the use of such contractors to supplement its own officers, calling it "an industry-standard approach used widely across college campuses, sporting venues and medical facilities."
The school said the security guards were hired to "keep watch over our campus and enable us to respond quickly to emergencies." The statement said that the school "does not surveil individuals or student groups, nor has it requested or authorized the surveillance of any students on or off campus."
Several protesters disagreed, telling the Guardian that they were being followed.
In his note, Grasso urged anyone who's witnessed inappropriate behavior by private security personnel to report it to the campus police or the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office. He said it would be promptly investigated.
The Free Press left a message with the university seeking comment on any complaints it has received about private security personnel.
The Free Press also left a request for comment with Amerishield, the parent company of Detroit-based City Shield, which provided the officers.
Payment records from the Board of Regents show that between June and September of last year alone, the university paid Amerishield more than $851,000 for what it called "general goods and services."
The U-M campus has seen repeated controversies over the Gaza War protests and the school's response to them.
In May of 2024, the school broke up an encampment on the diag and several protesters were charged with crimes ranging from trespassing to resisting and obstructing police.
Last month, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that she was dropping all charges against some of those protesters.
The school's handling of the protesters has prompted multiple lawsuits, claiming the school violated the constitutional rights of protesters and fired some employees who took part.
Detroit Free Press staff writer Andrea Souhari contributed to this report. Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X: @jwisely
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: U-M dumping undercover security guards for 'unethical' behavior
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