The formerly known University of Kansas Public Safety Office officially returned to its previous name, KU Police Department, at the beginning of March.
The name-changing process began at the beginning of the year, KUPD’s police chief, Nelson Mosley, said.
“After reviewing the recommendations made by the 2020 Task Force on Community-Responsive Public Safety, our department took part in a visioning process,” Mosley said in an email. “These two working groups led to a reset of our organization, including changes to our structure and a more focused definition of our mission at the University of Kansas.”
The organization was known as the KU Police Department until the mid-1990s, when it became the KU Public Safety Office.
Mosley said that changing the name back to "KU Police Department" is a better reflection of its mission.
"[The change] brings us in line with a majority of our Big XII peers and our partnering Douglas County agencies,” Mosley said. “It also creates transparency for individuals outside our community who may not know that our officers are certified law enforcement officials.”
