On Wednesday night, Syracuse University officials attempted to convey an important message to the campus community: Armed and dangerous don’t always go together.

Nearly 100 members of the SU community attended a question-and-answer forum at Hendricks Chapel to learn more about the potential Public Safety officer upgrade to peace officer status.

‘I’m impressed that students took their time to come here and ask questions,’ said Beth Rougeux, executive director of government and community relations. ‘I do feel that the majority of students here were supportive.’

Before audience members could ask questions, panel leaders explained the benefits of an upgrade to peace officer status and how students would benefit from such a change.

Gov. George E. Pataki signed a bill Oct. 7 enabling Public Safety officers to become peace officers, allowing them extended duties such as carrying a gun. If Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw and the Board of Trustees approve, this change would not occur until July 2004, after the chosen officers are trained and the procedures established.

Unlike Public Safety officers, peace officers will be better able to respond to persons under emotional distress who might be a threat to themselves or those around them, said Marlene Hall, director of the Department of Public Safety. They will also be able to better enforce orders of protection against domestic violence offenders so that they do not cause more harm.

‘We’re not foolish enough to say that if we had peace officers it would solve everything, but it would help,’ Hall said. ‘We care, and that’s why we’re pushing it.’

The public safety cars would be outfitted with lights and sirens so that in times of emergency, other drivers will know to pull over, Hall said. Screens for the backseat would also allow officers to drive offenders to the police station downtown.

Officer Grant Williams of the Department of Public Safety said that most officers within the department worked or currently work part-time as police officers, and they have had experience carrying guns.

‘The risk is increased, but you have to look at the trade-off,’ Hall, after a question regarding possible drawbacks to the change. ‘Officers really want to do all they can to help people, but that has been the frustrating part, that they can’t do all they can.’

The biggest drawback, Rougeux said, is that the community will need to be educated that these new officers will not be able to respond to any incidents beyond specific areas surrounding the campus.

After one student said that she will not feel safer if public safety officers have guns, and that she is concerned a student, in a situation like a party, could be shot by an officer, Hall responded that peace officer powers are meant to help them do whatever they can to accomplish their duty while keeping all other persons safe.

Alicia Williams-Pedersen, a sophomore broadcast journalism major, asked the panel whether SU has examined all the possibilities before deciding that peace officers were a good idea for the department.

SU faces many obstacles to making the campus a safer environment with its current officer status, said Bruce McBride, the director of criminal justice at Utica College, who was chair of the committee that reviewed SU’s public safety program in 2002.

‘SU deserved a higher level of protection, and in our recommendation, we challenged the university to consider peace office status,’ McBride said.

In response to other questions, Hall said that peace officers may receive an increased salary, and that the change in status is primarily meant to protect the officers.

‘I think that people are focusing on the wrong things, and they’re trying to make into something it’s not,’ said Erin Tochelli, a sophomore communications and rhetorical studies major, who stood up to tell the audience that there is much more to the issue than guns. ‘Yay for peace officers!’

Thomas Wolfe, dean of Hendricks Chapel, said that he was glad students held different opinions and spoke so respectfully.

‘The idea was just to have some good give and take,’ Wolfe said. ‘I’m very impressed by their questions.’

Published on November 5, 2003 at 12:00 pm