A new bill awaiting vote in the U.S. Senate would create a center within the Justice Department devoted to safety on college campuses, according to Congress’s Web site. The House of Representatives approved the bill Feb. 3.

The National Center for Campus Public Safety would give grants to universities’ public safety departments to train officers and fund research about relevant safety issues and release information of campus safety policies and tactics, among other functions, according to the Campus Safety Act of 2009.

Tony Callisto, chief of Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety, said that since he has worked at SU, he has encouraged the development of this kind of a national center. He is also part of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, which has worked with the federal government to develop this center. Callisto said that SU would use the grants to update DPS’s technology and participate in some of the national training methods.

‘Any grants from the federal government would enhance what we’re already doing,’ Callisto said. ‘I would hope we would be able to secure some grant money that would actually be able to send (Closed Circuit Television) images right to the patrol cars, because we have mobile computer terminals in our patrol cars.’

Callisto said he believes one of the challenges facing the center is the three distinct types of campus security. In the first, campus officers can only be involved in security and have to call the police for any emergencies. Other universities have a full-service police department on campus. SU’s model is a mix between the other two, with a campus police department that works with the city police department.

‘They recognize that,’ Callisto said. ‘And I think they’re going to accommodate that. Those three models really have to be taken into account for training.’

Supporters of the bill cited the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois campus shootings as evidence of the need for such a center, according to The Associated Press. Callisto said SU is already ahead of most of the country in regard to active shooter training, an emergency protocol for many campuses. He said he hopes the bill will allow for additional training in that area for DPS officers.

Nneka Obiekwe, a member of the DPS student advisory committee, said that while she feels safe on campus, DPS could use improvement in its ability to patrol to prevent on-campus robberies.

‘I honestly think that DPS does a lot more than students think,’ said Obiekwe, a junior child and family studies major. ‘Maybe they could use grants for more officers or positions that are specifically for patrol.’

Obiekwe said DPS has been trying to create a student crime-watch program, but has lacked sufficient funding. She suggested a grant be used to fund that program.

Other students, like sophomore biology major Stephanie Bennett, are wary of the idea of a national center.

‘With 3,000-plus universities in the country, I think their project is a little too big for them to actually do,’ Bennett said. ‘It’s kind of a weak initiative, and they could funnel that somewhere else that’s actually important.’

The bill was received by the Senate Feb. 4 and is still awaiting a vote. Callisto said that once it is approved by the Senate and signed by President Obama, the center should begin working relatively quickly.

rhkheel@syr.edu

Published on February 16, 2009 at 12:00 pm