The decision taken by the Department of Public Safety to withhold disclosure of four lost shotguns for three months represents an egregious lack of accountability and will compromise the faith the community had in the department to effectively enforce the law.

Issues surrounding gun safety are not something to be taken lightly, and any officer who can err in judgment so significantly in an instance such as this one can not be entrusted with the safety of the university community.

The Daily Orange should have gone further in its recent editorial condemning this unfathomable display of incompetence.

The responsible officer’s negligence puts the university community and Syracuse residents in grave danger by allowing these guns to freely roam the streets. DPS then subsequently exacerbated the problem by failing to come forward and disclose the occurrence immediately after the incident occurred.

It also endangers the health of the university, as the school could possibly be held liable and sued should the guns later be used in the commission of a crime.

It is evident that DPS failed in its core mission to protect and serve the community, and the leadership must be held responsible. DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado and Chief Law Enforcement Officer Tony Callisto need to act quickly in finding these weapons to begin rectify this situation.

With the nation increasingly holding law enforcement to account, it is time we as a community do the same with DPS. A crucial component to a functional working relationship between law enforcement and the citizens it protects is transparency, and, without that, confidence in the institution to administer the law is eroded.

DPS should immediately release the names of the officer’s involved, coupled with any disciplinary action taken as a result of an error so severe it could ultimately cost someone their life. In addition, Chancellor Kent Syverud should consider whether the current leadership team in charge of DPS has the moral and ethical standing to continue in their current roles.

Tyler Zschach ’17
Newspaper/Online Journalism and Political Science Major

Published on February 5, 2016 at 5:56 pm