Syracuse University Public Safety officers are one step closer to achieving peace officer status.

On Oct. 7, Governor George E. Pataki signed a bill that allows university officials to change public safety officers’ status from enhanced officers to peace officers. Many SU officials were confident that the governor would support the measure.

‘We worked hard to show that the recruiting and training [associated with changing the status] would be of quality,’ said Marlene Hall, the director of Public Safety.

Despite Pataki’s approval, SU officials still plan to take the implementation of the new officer status slowly.

‘Even though the university got the state’s authority, you still have to get community input,’ said Gretchen Goldstein, an assistant to Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw. ‘It’s a multistaged thing.’

The first stage will be a series of university-wide forums for the SU community to both learn more about the pros and cons of having peace officers and to voice its concerns. No dates have been set, but Hall and the Department of Public Safety are looking at dates as early as the end of October.

The earliest noticeable changes in Public Safety officers’ actions would occur in July 2004, said Beth Rougeux, executive director of government community relations. Training for current officers would begin this summer with a 12- to 14-week program. Hall said the training wouldn’t be a huge difference from what is associated with enhanced officer training.

‘Syracuse Police and SU officers have always worked together in training,’ Hall said.

Currently, the Department of Public Safety employs 69 staff, 50 of whom would have the opportunity to move up to peace officer status. There is no guarantee, however, that all 50 will accept the status.

‘It all depends on willingness and ability,’ Hall said. ‘Some might choose not to go that route for personal reasons, or there might be a couple who can’t pass the qualifications in training.’

Hall said the new status would allow Public Safety officers more independence in their duties. Public Safety works with the Syracuse Police in 80 to 90 percent of its cases. The main advantage to peace officer status and the ability to bypass the police is a decreased response time.

‘For example, if a Public Safety officer needed to arrest a student, [he or she] would have to call SPD and wait for them to take them down to the station,’ Hall said. Peace officers would be able to take arrested persons to the station without police assistance.

The new status would grant officers privileges including access to local, state and federal information, the ability to carry firearms, the use of lights and sirens on patrol vehicles, the enforcement of orders of protection and the authority to issue appearance tickets.

Sen. John A. DeFrancisco and Assemblyman William B. Magnarelli endorsed the bill in Congress. The bill arrived at Pataki’s desk Sept. 28, and he signed it on its last day of validity.

Syracuse University is one of the last universities of its size and status to have its officers move up in rank, Rougeux said. Canisius College’s peace officer bill was signed into law in 1998. Ithaca College’s bill was signed into law in 2001. All State University of New York schools’ public safety officers were granted peace officer status in 1998.

The last time SU’s Public Safety officer’s status changed was in 1995, from security officer to enhanced officer level.

Published on October 13, 2003 at 12:00 pm