Harvard has yet to respond officially to a series of allegations made in October by the in-house policemen's union against the University and Chief Paul E. Johnson, but administration officials say the charges are unfair and misleading.

Police officers voted 24-14-3 in late October in favor of a "no confidence" motion against Johnson, charging that he doesn't "go to bat" for officers and has consistently failed to resolve labor disputes within the department.

The Harvard University Police Association, which represents Harvard's 41 non-administrative field officers, also recently filed suit to force Harvard to comply with an arbiter's binding decision in a case involving an officer discharged last year.

University officials yesterday said they support Johnson, but refused all comment on union suit.

Bum Rap

Edward W. Powers, director of administration and associate general counsel for employee relations, said yesterday of the union allegations, "I would consider those bum raps, especially against the chief."

Powers said Johnson should not be held responsible for the suit involving the discharged officer, saying it does not "represent a problem in the department." "Cases going to arbitration are ultimately my responsibility, not his," he said.

Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Stiener '54 said last month, "I think [Johnson] is doing a good job for the University." He gave no indication that the chief's job is in question.

Johnson, in his first public comment on the allegations, said yesterday, "I think the allegations have been exaggerated to some degree...You might get a different perspective [than that of the union] if you spoke to other members of the department."

Johnson said last week he would not comment on the charges because, "These are in-house matters which are either in litigation or arbitration. I'm not going to fan those fires."

Grievances

The "no-confidence" vote was the culmination of a series of officers' grievances against Johnson.

Thomas E. Mercier, president of the union, said one major grievance was that Johnson was "not responsive" to union attempts to discuss labor problems within the department.

Another such issue concerns charges of racial discrimination and harassment which were leveled against the Harvard police last year by minority students. Mercier said that Johnson's support for the officers involved was insufficient.

The union is also concerned about what it calls the lack of compensation for incapacitated officers.