Department of Public Safety
University Police

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Trust. Equity. Accountability.

Tufts Department of Public Safety (DPS) serves the university community and its four campuses by providing a safe and secure environment that fosters trust, equity, and accountability. DPS engages in proactive and thoughtful relationship-building to promote the safety and well-being of all who learn, work, and live in the Tufts community. 

Welcome from the Chief

Trust. Equity. Accountability.

Tufts Department of Public Safety (DPS) serves the university community and its four campuses by providing a safe and secure environment that fosters trust, equity, and accountability. DPS engages in proactive and thoughtful relationship-building to promote the safety and well-being of all who learn, work, and live in the Tufts community. 

Welcome from the Chief

Yolanda Smith, Chief of Police

Chief of Police/Executive Director of Public Safety, Yolanda Smith

On behalf of the dedicated members of the Tufts University Police Department, I thank you for viewing our website. As community members of Tufts, we strive to maintain high professionalism and engagement with our respective communities internally and externally; we continue the learning process by participating in a plethora of training that helps us interact positively with our community members and create successful relationships.

Read Welcome Letter from Chief

Blue Police light

Emergencies

617-627-6911 from a campus phone

Or

911 for fires on the Boston health sciences and SMFA at Tufts campuses

TUPD holding flags at Commencement

Accreditation

The Tufts University Police Department is one of only 16 universities in the state to receive accreditation through the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) and has been re-accredited every 3 years since 2005.

TUPD officers with Wally the Red Sox Mascot

Community Outreach

TUPD is committed to building partnerships through community engagement and collaboration for problem-solving strategies through the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) philosophy.

Tufts Public Safety Progress Dashboard

The Public Safety Dashboard provides an overview of our progress to date on changes to Tufts Public Safety and deepen equity and inclusion.

See the Dashboard

Tufts University Police Department News

TUPD breast cancer embroidered patches with pink outline.

Pink Patch 2024

TUPD is participating in the Pink Patch Project to help raise funds for cancer research.
Tufts sign flowers

Community Advisory 8/20/2024

The Tufts University Police Department is aware of multiple reports to law enforcement regarding the use of pellet BB guns in and around the Medford, Somerville, and Brookline areas.
Tufts sign flowers

Community Advisory 7/11/24

The Tufts University Police Department just received information from the Boston Police Department of a recent assault that took place in close proximity to our campus.
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