The role of University Police Departments (UPD) has evolved significantly over the last two decades, transitioning from campus security guards to fully sworn peace officers with arrest powers. With this transition comes the responsibility to adhere to constitutional policing standards. The case of Rio Garza vs. Reese Wells brings these issues to the forefront. Rio Garza, a student at the university, filed a civil suit against Officer Reese Wells and the UPD following an altercation during a campus event. The core of the dispute lies in whether Officer Wells’ use of force was objectively reasonable given the threat level presented, or if it was an arbitrary deprivation of Garza’s Fourth Amendment rights.
The spark. The showman. Reese thrives on chaos and momentum. Where Rio calculates, Reese improvises. What Wells might lack in textbook form, he more than makes up for with raw athleticism, creative angles, and an uncanny knack for pulling off the seemingly impossible when the stakes are highest. Love him or hate him, you can’t look away. rio garza vs reese wells upd