UNC police didn’t put up portable barricades around a Confederate statue the night it was toppled because of administrators’ concerns that the barriers would be unsightly, according to an investigative report by the statewide university system.

WBTV, which obtained a draft of the findings by an outside law firm, reports that the UNC-Chapel Hill campus police chief believed the concerns from Chancellor Carol Folt’s office amounted to a directive not to use the barriers.

Folt said she hadn’t meant for her concerns to be perceived as an order, according to the report.

The report cites miscommunication between police and administrators, as well as insufficient staffing and training for officers as contributing factors that allowed the statue to be torn down in August 2018. Protesters argued it was a racist symbol.

The report was prepared by an outside law firm at the request of the statewide Board of Governors. A spokesman for the statewide university system, Josh Ellis, said the version of the report cited by the television station wasn’t final. He said he didn’t have a final version of the report to release Thursday.

Folt announced this week that she would be resigning at the end of the school year, but the statewide board sped up her departure to the end of January.

While planning for the demonstration at the start of the school year, Campus Police Chief Jeff McCracken suggested deploying the portable metal barricades that had been used before to keep protesters away from the statue, according to the report.

But the report said Folt’s chief of staff, Amy Hertel, questioned using them.

“While there is significant evidence that barricades can serve as force multipliers for police in controlling crowds, some perceived barricades could also be optical eyesores. … Hertel was also concerned that barricades might cause new students and their parents to fear for their safety on move-in weekend,” the report said.

According to the he report, Folt also said she didn’t want the barriers up during the weekend leading up to the protest, and that message was relayed to McCracken.

McCracken felt he had been ordered not to use the barriers for the protest, according to the report, though Folt said her concerns weren’t meant to be a directive not to use them.

“The Chancellor has always maintained her message was never a directive or an order, but was rather a desire based upon her understanding of the intelligence and her belief that law enforcement ultimately makes the decisions on the group,” the report said.

UNC-Chapel Hill spokeswoman Joanne Peters Denny said that campus administrators provided a response that was included in the report and didn’t have further comment.

Related Stories
‹
Social Media Tracking Tool, Used By UNC, Raises Speech and Privacy Concerns
Concerns about free speech and privacy rights have been raised around a social media program that UNC has used to monitor protests.
Community Members Question UNC Police Motives Following Review
In the wake of an external report reviewing UNC Police’s handling of arrests during protests after the toppling of Silent Sam on campus, student and community activists spoke out against the report’s conclusions on Wednesday. They said while it addresses missteps of the campus police force, it does not hold them accountable enough. UNC undergraduate […]
UNC Trustee's Security Panel Calls for 'Mobile Force Platoon'
Monday’s report from the UNC Board of Trustees drew protests for its recommendations concerning the future of the Confederate monument on the Chapel Hill campus known as Silent Sam. The board’s advisement to the UNC Board of Governors that the monument be returned to campus in a new $5 million facility was disappointing, if unsurprising, […]
UNC Police Asking for Help Identifying 2 in Silent Sam Protest
UNC Police are asking for public assistance identifying two “persons of interest” as the investigation continues into the night of August 20, where protesters pulled the Confederate monument on the Chapel Hill campus known as Silent Sam down from its pedestal. That rally then led to two other protests over the next 10 days where […]
Former Chapel Hill Council Member Presents Petition Regarding Removal of Silent Sam
A former Chapel Hill Town Council member brought a petition to the council earlier this month with the goal of keeping Chapel Hill police from helping with UNC sporting events until Silent Sam comes down. The petition was presented at a town council meeting earlier this month by former town council member Maria Palmer, who […]
Silent Sam Protesters Identify Undercover UNC Police Officer Amid Demonstrators
UNC is receiving backlash from students and community members after a video surfaced late last week showing student protestors confronting a uniformed police officer that was previously seen dressed in plain clothes taking part in the Silent Sam protests. UNC students claimed to have seen and spoken to officer Hector Borges at Silent Sam protests […]
UNC Warns of Vehicle Break-Ins at SECU Family House, Friday Center Park and Ride
A string of vehicle break-ins reported at two university properties in Chapel Hill led UNC Police to alert the public on Wednesday afternoon.
Police: UNC Student Victim of Carjacking in W. Franklin Street Parking Deck
Chapel Hill Police are investigating the carjacking of a UNC student that took place early Saturday morning. No injuries are reported.
UNC Warns Students of Recent Electric Scooter, E-Bike Thefts Across Campus
An uptick of electric scooter and bike thefts around UNC campus led to university police warning students to protect their mini motor vehicles.
Police: String of Vehicle Break-Ins Reported at UNC
A recent rash of vehicle break-ins led the UNC Police Department to issue an Alert Carolina to the campus community on Wednesday.
›