A little more honesty and integrity please. This void is what we’ve come to expect with the command of the Arizona State University Police Department. ASUPD Mike Thompson gets a phony award for copying a police patch from another police department, changing a color. He’s also posturing on a record of “OTHER EFFORTS” What the hell does that even mean? It means we didn’t really do anything, but it’s high time we acted like we took positive real action on an issue for the sake of publicity.
Teal patches, teal ribbon pins, wrist bands, T-shirts, RAD classes, and a steaming pile of literature won’t patrol the campus and dorms making life safer for the students of the largest university in the nation. Instead, officers are running away from the department as fast as possible to avoid a dead end job, dare we say career, at the ASUPD Crony Club for Friends First Experience Irrelevant.
Here is the propaganda article written by the State Press promoting this latest smoke and mirrors illusion of safety in the crime spree zone of ASU Tempe Arizona or the ASU satellite campuses with skeleton crews where one officer is alone on shifts and a smattering of police aides inadequately supplements the lack of officers.
https://asunow.asu.edu/20170412-asu-police-chief-honored-sexual-assault-awareness
ASU Police chief honored for sexual assault awareness (but the actual record is ignored)
April 12, 2017Michael Thompson has had quite the month. (Making a patch and “other efforts”, whew, tuckered out.)
Not only did the Arizona State University police chief come up with the idea of having his officers wear teal-colored patches to commemorate Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but he was recently named the inaugural Champion of Change by EVAW International. The group, which campaigns to end violence against women, created the new award to honor individuals who work to improve responses to victims of sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence.
ASU Police Chief Michael Thompson wears the teal patch that officers are wearing throughout April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Police aides and support staff will wear other teal emblems, taking place in conjuction with other efforts to raise awareness about sexual assault and enhance support for survivors.Download Full Image
“Chief Thompson has led this department through a series of critical reforms to create a safe, victim-centered culture on ASU campuses,” said ASU Police information officer Katy Harris. “We felt it was so important to let students, faculty, staff and the surrounding ASU communities know that we’re here to help.”
Thompson has been helping the cause in all sorts of ways.
The police department started its campaign in earnest in 2014, when ASU became the first university to declare its commitment to the Start by Believing cause. Not long after, Thompson led his agency in creating a Special Victims Unit, making ASU one of just four universities in the nation with an SVU dedicated to addressing sexual assault on campus.
“It is not easy to identify the need for change and set about implementing reforms,” wrote EVAW International in a press release. “Making progress is hard work, and it can feel like it is often two steps forward, one step back. Communities will always need leaders like Chief Thompson to keep us moving forward.”
One of Thompson’s most recent intiatives was the creation of his department’s teal-colored patches, a first-of-its-kind effort.
All ASU Police Department officers and aides are wearing the limited-edition patches throughout the month of April, taking place in conjuction with other efforts to raise awareness about sexual assault and enhance support for survivors. The innovative initiative is the first time the department has created a visible sign for its employees to wear.
The patches are just one of the ways the department is showing their support this month.
According to Harris, officers, police aides and support staff are also wearing teal bracelets and lapel pins. In addition, squad cars on four of ASU’s campuses are adorned with teal ribbon decals for the remainder of April.
A limited number of the teal-colored patches are available at the ASU PD Tempe campus location for a $5 donation, the proceeds of which will be given to the Winged Hope Family Advocacy Foundation.
I don’t even think it was Thompson’s idea, but it wouldn’t be the first time he took credit for somebody’s work. He looks a little wigged out. It must be him pretending to have a guilty conscience.
Of course it wasn’t his idea. He’s too fixated on schemes to acquire tail or flipping out on base employees by opening internal affairs investigations against them. I suppose they really need something to do up on the 3rd floor besides fighting crime.
Everyone in that place knows Thompson is a fraud. They are trying to ride high on the R.A.D. rape aggression defense classes and create the illusion of proactive policing with minimal engagement and lots of fluffy publicity.
The instructors should be telling the students, “Hey, we are expecting you to defend yourself because the ASU police department can’t patrol the campus and keep you safe. We squandered your tuition/tax dollars on fat cat supervisors that siphoned away all our patrol officers with their mismanagement and counterproductive people skills.”
Gimmicks, dogs, and ponies. Thompson is another yes man incapable of seeing the issues if the department and doing something about them. The issues take a will, intelligence, and determination he is lacking. Just like do nothing lazy John Pickens, his short sighted view lacks substance, he lacks a record of successful management, and integrity? Like Pickens, he would choke saying the word.
The latest push for public propaganda promoting the police department and hiring more people to be wasted under this management is not the answer and it will backfire. Ignoring the issues always backfires eventually.
Hire more people to climb the great big wall of success out of the asu police department to go play cops in the real world.
Chief Thompson named the inaugural Champion of Change by EVAW International?!
What criteria and legitimate fact-checking is done prior to EVAW International bestowing a titular on any one individual, or praising an agency or organization for their collective efforts in combating and competently investigating sexual assaults?
Another slap in the face to the countless sexual assault victims/survivors at Arizona State University.
EVAW International must be a member of the fake news conglomerates. Something stinks.
Giving Thompson an award as if he addressed the Arizona State University sex crimes epidemic is yet another insult to injury and revictimization for the victims not getting the level of service they needed from the ASUPD and the University administration.
It’s not just Chief Michael Thompson who’s the problem, just like it wasn’t just Chief Johnny Pickens. Even if they chose an uncompromised man, an intelligent moral leader to replace Pickens they were still placing a good apple in with the spoiled bunch.
I don’t believe the university bosses above them care what these assholes do or don’t do anymore as long as the press is good. What we have here is another good press attempt to prop up ASUPD as if the department has no major issues. Nothing to see here folks! Move along.
I used to hear veterans of this department tell stories about what the supervisors here have done to people and thought, “No, that can’t be right, maybe there’s some miscommunication here, I’ll find out for myself.” Big mistake, I should have listened. You need to document everything with supervisors at the ASU police department or else it’s your word of truth against their lies. Integrity doesn’t count for a god damn thing with these people. You’ve been warned.
I wonder who was the brain child behind this movement to say ASU cares about sexual assault after burying cases, mishandling cases, and doing nothing for years. Chief Mike Thompson receives an award for taking the reigns from that asshole of assholes Chief John Pickens and maintaining mediocrity and morale so low every officer worth a shit wants to leave. Maybe there’s a ASU Police Medal of Honor award in the making? Heroes of law enforcement posters? Give me a fucking break.
By any standard it’s an absurd stretch, if you’re honest with yourself. My friends with other agencies get a laugh out of my “Asupd war stories”. Knowledge of how the department operates is out there and ASUPD has become the butt of jokes in law enforcement in this state.
This sudden thing with sexual assault awareness is just a part of the rebranding of the department, just like the cars to look more like Tempe PD cars, the nonstop press releases, because they haven’t shut down this blog or silenced the media and they are in damage control.
They tried using their contacts at DPS to silence you guys, but they cut their losses. I heard all about it. I’m very pleased to see the flag still waving in the face of people who have absolutely no business in law enforcement. Keep it up!