UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Police and Public Safety (UPPS) will conduct a confidential University-wide survey this fall to better understand the community’s attitudes and opinions related to policing, public safety, programs and services, and overall campus safety at Penn State.
The fourth of its kind, the UPPS Survey is intended to be used as a platform to ask Penn State students and employees specific questions relating to UPPS’s policing unit and the quality of policing on campus. The survey is administered by Penn State’s Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR).
Penn State administered the first survey in 2019 and has continued to do so biennially. Past findings can be viewed online on the University Police and Public Safety website.
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, a sample of members of the Penn State community will receive the survey by email from OPAIR where University Police provides services. A random sample of students and employees at Penn State’s University Park, Abington, Altoona, Berks, Behrend and Harrisburg campuses, as well as all students and employees at select smaller Penn State campuses (Beaver, Brandywine, Penn State Dickinson Law, Great Valley, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Schuylkill and Scranton) will be invited to complete the survey.
Participants should take note that this survey is specifically assessing police on Penn State’s campuses and not police services provided off campus by other police agencies. Participants may skip any questions, and their responses to the survey will remain confidential. Participants may, however, provide their name and contact information if they wish to be contacted by someone from University Police about their experiences. However, this information is not required and the names of those who provide it will not be associated with their answers. Raw data will not be provided by OPAIR to University Police; findings will only be reported in the aggregate.
The survey, which will take approximately 15 minutes to complete, asks participants questions about University Police regarding: overall performance, overall competency of agency employees, citizens’ perception of officers’ attitudes and behavior, community concern over safety and security within University Police’s jurisdiction, and citizens’ recommendations and suggestions for improvements.
“Our primary focus with this survey is to truly understand how our Penn State community experiences safety on campus,” said Associate Vice President and Chief of Police and Public Safety Wesley Sheets. “Hearing directly from students, faculty and staff helps us adapt our services to better reflect their expectations and address their concerns. The insights shared through this survey are essential as we strive to foster a responsive and supportive environment for everyone at Penn State.”
Please note that some of the questions in the survey may be related to a traumatic or upsetting experience for some participants, which may cause discomfort to recall. Those participants may choose not to complete the survey or skip questions within the survey. If a participant is concerned that recalling experiences may be challenging, they are encouraged to seek assistance from Counseling and Psychological Services (for students) or Penn State's Employee Assistance Program (for employees).
University Police will release the results of the survey in spring 2026. For more information about the survey, visit the University Police and Public Safety website at police.psu.edu.