The recent crimes on and near Syracuse University’s campus have negatively impacted students and the surrounding community, illustrating the need for a mutually positive relationship between the Department of Public Safety, students and the larger community.

The amount of crime affecting SU students has emphasized the need for clearer communication between DPS and students. In late May of 2021, a robbery outside of the West Campus Starbucks was reported, where a knife had been reportedly displayed toward an SU student. On Sept. 13, 2021, DPS brought forward a series of investigations regarding a string of burglaries on South Campus in which people broke into the properties and vehicles of students.

On Oct. 23, 2021, DPS responded to a “shots fired” call next to the intersection of Euclid and Sumner avenues, and the SU student who was arrested was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. And on Dec. 1, 2021, Onondaga County residents were notified with a report regarding gunshots around the area of 415 Small Rd on South Campus. Most recently, on April 21, 2022, burglaries have occurred on off-campus areas such as East Adams Street and Comstock Avenue.

DPS has informed SU students about crimes committed, including acts of robbery and burglary, in areas students reside in on numerous occasions. These acts have resulted in reminders from DPS for students to practice basic safety protocols, including locking doors and windows and visiting the DPS online safety strategies page.

Each crime serves as a reminder of the significance of DPS and maintaining a positive, mutual relationship with its members, but there are always more avenues the department can take to reach out to students more effectively. The department already reaches out to students via email and provides guidance to students regarding how they can keep themselves safe, as seen with SU’s Orange Alert and emergency phone systems. To bolster its relationship with students, DPS can also offer class presentations regarding the importance of off-campus safety and how to practice it, more local information on social media, and safety training for students, all which would give students more basic safety knowledge.

In February of 2021, former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and her office conducted a review of DPS. Lynch wrote in an email to the SU community that “​​we hope that the findings and recommendations in our report will enable DPS and the campus community to achieve greater trust and partnership.”

Following the bias-related incidents and hate crimes referenced in the report, DPS had a lot of repairing to do with the community to create a healthy relationship between the two. One of Lynch’s recommendations was to reinstate community engagement programs to prioritize and build long-term relationships between DPS and the community.

One way DPS can build trust in the SU community is by providing assistance off campus, which is outside of its jurisdiction, but where many SU students live. Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile plans to shift some of the Syracuse Police Department’s responsibilities to DPS, NCC News reported. He said that DPS responding to non-emergency calls in the off-campus neighborhoods allows SPD to focus on other issues.

“In many cases (DPS is) not stretched like we are and can get there quicker,” Cecile told NCC News.

A burglary that is not in progress is an example of a non-emergency situation where DPS could intervene in an off-campus neighborhood, Cecile said.

“We’re looking at the possibility of having DPS go there so they can take the report and investigate it, so that the student isn’t waiting,” Cecile said.

With the importance of a healthy relationship with DPS comes mutuality. In other words, students and DPS should be working together to determine how DPS can best serve students so the department can do their job with integrity. DPS operations should be expanded regarding where and how it can provide security to students off campus to best ensure public safety to students.

For students at SU, a lack of security can hamper their ability to have a safe college environment, something that is imperative to their college experience. Students attend SU to increase their ability for job opportunities and to fulfill personal growth, so they should not have to worry about potentially dangerous scenarios that can make these matters harder to obtain.

Anthony Draghi is a junior political science and history major. His columns appear bi-weekly, and he can be reached at amdraghi@syr.edu.

Published on May 3, 2022 at 12:37 am