University of Michigan severs ties with security company after personnel followed students

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - The University of Michigan says they have severed ties with several private security companies hired to patrol high traffic areas on campus, but many students, including pro-Palestinian demonstrators, say their actions have amounted to surveillance.

Now they are calling the university out. 

What they're saying:

U-M says no individual or group was or should ever be targeted for their beliefs or affiliations, but many of those students in last year’s anti-Israel demonstrations on campus beg to differ.

Attorney Amir Makled represented several Pro-Palestinian protesters at U-M, including some who say they were followed and harassed by undercover security teams whose contracts have now been terminated by the University.

"I think that this is a continuation of what we’re seeing nationally," said Makled. "They’ve spent nearly a million dollars going after students wrongfully monitoring them, recording them, and it’s totally unjustified."

The backstory:

University leadership has said private security was hired to report suspicious incidents in high-traffic areas, not to conduct surveillance, but tensions came to a head in 2024 during the anti-Israel demonstrations, including a large encampment that was eventually shut down by officials due to safety concerns.

Seven demonstrators were faced with felony charges relating to the encampment, but those charges were dropped in May.

"I think we saw some videos online of one of these private investigative employees acting as if they had some sort of a mental challenge or physical handicap in a way to not maybe raise suspicion that they are actually watching the targeted individual, but who knows what the irregularity was. Nonetheless, they should never have been used in the first place."

The other side:

Michigan’s Interim President talked about the issue in a letter to the community, saying in part:

"…We recently learned that an employee of one of our security contractors has acted in ways that go against our values and directives. What happened was disturbing, unacceptable, and unethical, and we will not tolerate it.
Going forward, we are terminating all contracts with external vendors to provide plainclothes security on campus…"

City Shield, the Detroit company providing some of the contracted security, released a statement to FOX 2 following the contract terminations saying quote:

"City Shield Security Services has a strong history of protecting people and property as a nationally leading provider. We are aware of recent reporting and are investigating the matter. We take all complaints seriously and investigate them rigorously, ensuring appropriate actions and professional standards. We respect the need for client and protection services confidentiality and as a standard industry practice do not discuss the details of those services or contract, which would obviously undermine the protection provided."

Attorney Makled says it’s good the private security has been dumped…but wants more change.

"I think the university is going to be held accountable. They need to have some transparency," he said. "We need to have oversight over the spending of these universities and these independent investigations must happen against the university, not against the students."