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Syracuse University will form a citizen review board to investigate complaints made against the Department of Public Safety, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced Tuesday in a university-wide email.

The Public Safety Citizen Review Board, which will include SU community members, will recommend actions to DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado in response to complaints, Syverud said. The university will also freeze the hiring of five approved officers until former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch completes a review of the department.

Syverud announced Lynch’s review in February amid growing concerns over DPS officers’ conduct when interacting with student protesters. Lynch will interview SU students, DPS personnel and university leadership before making recommendations on how the department can better serve Black students, Syverud said.   

DPS will also release its operating procedures and use of force policy, the chancellor said. 

#NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students, has demanded that DPS make its code of conduct and operating procedures available on the department’s website. Though DPS has entered into an agreement with the Syracuse Police Department and employs sworn officers, most of its records and policies are not publicly accessible.

Syverud’s announcement comes as communities across the United States continue to protest the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer. Protesters in Syracuse have vowed to march for 40 days to demand police reform. The citizen review board is part of the university’s efforts to combat anti-Black racism, according to the release.

“I am inspired by the passion from protesters around the country, and in our own city,” the chancellor said. “Their powerful message is simple — that the lives of our Black friends, neighbors, co-workers and strangers must matter. We haven’t lived up to that basic ideal.” 

Derek Chauvin, the officer who killed Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes, faces charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. The three other officers present during Floyd’s killing face charges of aiding and abetting murder.

SU will also continue to work on its commitments to Jewish, international and indigenous students, Syverud said. The university made commitments to all three student groups, as well as #NotAgainSU, following an eight day sit-in of the Barnes Center at The Arch in November.

Updates and preliminary recommendations from the Board of Trustees Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion should be available this summer, Syverud said. 

Published on June 9, 2020 at 11:07 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3