University Police Department officers have grouped behind the Fraternal Order of Police in fear acting Chief Adam Due will be named permanent chief.

The fraternal order, the labor union for the UPD, issued a press release Friday summarizing the problems some officers have had with Due. The three areas of conflict are officer safety, interdepartmental communications and attitude/interpersonal relations, the release stated.

Members of the fraternal order first went on record of their concern on Jan. 17, 2002, when 17 of 18 police officers cast a “no confidence vote” against Due, who has held the acting chief position since the summer of 2001. “Police Department morale is at an all-time low and the pot is ready to boil over,” the release stated.

Those numbers have since gone down when a revote was taken on April 3, where 13 officers voted no confidence. A total number of voters was not given in the press release, but the UPD Web site lists 15 officers.

“Those three categories outline a management style by Chief Due,” said Ted Street, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Illinois State Lodge located in Springfield. “And there continues to be no address in

trying to change the management style.”

Due and multiple UPD officers declined comment.

The university began a review of candidate files for the UPD Chief – acting chief is an interim position – on April 7, said Lynette Drake, director of Health Services and chair of the search committee. Drake could not comment any further on the search or the matter.

Street said the press release was released to the media after on-campus attempts to handle the situation were unsuccessful. By Street’s count, there were four or five meetings with administration.

“In general terms, (Due) his personality is confrontational, he has poor communication skills within the department with the officers,” Street said. “As they bring safety and equipment issues to his attention, he is non-reactive. He doesn’t address the officer safety issues in the way of replacing equipment or existing mechanical equipment for the cars.”

Bob Wayland, director of employee and labor relations, previously said administration is preparing to negotiate a new labor agreement with the UPD where the situation of police chief will be discussed.

The UPD is allotted one representative on the search committee, as stated by the EIU Web site.

“A selection committee, which may include the vice president for business affairs, the director of facilities planning and management, the manager of design and construction, the dean or director of the area affected by the project, the appropriate vice president or designee and a representative from purchasing shall evaluate all firms submitting responses,” the Web site stated.

Street questioned the one UPD representative, which he said Due handpicked.

“What occurred was the university selected one of Due’s friends who (Due) promised to promote him from sergeant to lieutenant,” he said. “That particular sergeant is not representative of the super majority, that 80 or 90 percent that voted ‘no confidence.’

“We don’t believe he can be unbiased and objective.”