UF responds to State Attorney's decision to clear UPD officers

May 21, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After months of intensive review by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office, the University of Florida learned today the university police officers who responded to a March 2 incident at Corry Village involving graduate student Kofi Adu-Brempong have been cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

This decision by State Attorney Bill Cervone now gives the university the ability to complete its internal affairs investigation, which is being independently reviewed by Margolis Healy & Associates, national experts in campus safety. The university also will be completing internal reviews of mental health services and housing in connection with this incident.

“We look forward to the completion of the process. The five police officers who entered his apartment that night have struggled with the devastation of this incident,” Police Chief Linda Stump said. “We will, as always, remain open-minded and receptive to constructive feedback that will improve our services to the students, staff, faculty and visitors who we protect and serve everyday at UF.”

In an effort to continuously improve, the university has asked Margolis Healy to assist in a separate, comprehensive evaluation of how law enforcement, mental health services and other university offices work together. This review will occur over the summer.

“This situation was tragic for all those involved. We hope for the continued recovery of Kofi Adu-Brempong, and our thoughts are also with the officers,” President Bernie Machen said. “The next step now is to carefully review our procedures to identify any warranted improvements and ensure we are meeting the needs of our students while keeping the university campus safe.”