Boise State has agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Boise Police Department (BPD).
The news was announced to students in an email from President Tromp on Tuesday.
Boise State’s previous contract with BPD was close to $1.4 million. However, the latest contract will start at almost $2 million with tiered incremental increases each year to hit over $2.2 million by 2026.
Previously, the university made the decision to renew a tentative one-year contract with BPD during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, due to voiced reservations from student activists.
Photo by Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter
The decision for a shorter contract was meant to give the university time to explore alternative options for campus safety and assess campus needs, which was reportedly researched by a university-based committee.
Both the Associated Students of Boise Student University (ASBSU) and the Inclusive Excellence Student Council (IESC) had asked President Tromp to include the organizations in any future meetings.
Two student representatives, Angel Cantu and Em McNay, were chosen to sit on the committee. However, Cantu and McNay both left their positions in the fall of 2020. Two other student representatives filled the seat positions in November of 2020 and stayed for the duration of the academic year.
The Arbiter is currently reaching out to the other two student representatives for comment.
According to Boise State Director of Media Relations Mike Sharp, the committee responsible for the contract renewal sent a survey to students, faculty and staff asking about past experiences with BPD and Campus Security.
The Arbiter is currently researching the specifics of the survey and will provide additional reporting when more information is received.
Sharp said that the Idaho State Police and the Ada County Sheriff’s Office were considered as potential campus security partners, as well as creating an internal university police department and other potential operations without a law enforcement contract.
The contract would situate the usual six officers and a lieutenant, with the addition of a Campus Safety Advisory Committee made up of university faculty, administrators and student representatives.
The contract is set to go into effect on Nov. 1, pending a vote by the State Board of Education on Oct. 21 and Boise City Council on Oct. 26.
“The news is extremely disappointing and upsetting,” said current Vice President of IESC, Grace Burgert. “We had not received any information or involvement this year pertaining to BPD.”
