Harvard police station closes after student complaints over presence

An on-campus Harvard University police station was forced to closed after students complained that its presence was ‘a violent, visual intimidation tactic.’

The police department’s substation, located inside the Mather House residential hall, closed in February following years of outcry from both woke students and faculty. 

They argued the outpost, which opened in 2005 and was one of four on campus, was more intimidating than helpful, according to the , and even took aim at officers for eating in the students’ dining room. 

Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Taylor, a Harvard student and resident of Mather House, claimed the substation was being used as a ‘visual intimidation tactic’ against students.

‘The real effect that the presence of the HUPD substation has on the Mather community is simply a violent, visual intimidation tactic that students are forced to see every time they enter the house,’ Taylor said.

She added there were concerns about Harvard University Police Department officers eating meals alongside students in the dining hall during the 2019-2020 academic year, which she said made many students feel uncomfortable.

Faith Woods, another resident at Mather House, told the Harvard Crimson that having the police substation attached to the hall where she lived was not helpful, but instead ‘implies that we’re being watched and policed, which is not a pleasant feeling.’ 

‘I am well aware that the police are not there to keep me actively safe,’ Woods said. ‘Having a police car sitting outside of Mather every night — which it does — doesn’t bring me any sense of safety.’