Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families:
This weekend, we welcome hundreds of family and friends to campus for 2022 Family Weekend. It’s shaping up to be a beautiful day in Central New York, and we’re expecting a lot of activity this weekend, including the Syracuse vs. N.C. State game, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow.
As our community is aware, the City of Syracuse continues to experience a high volume of burglaries. This includes in neighborhoods adjacent to our campus, and more recently on our South Campus. Together with Syracuse Police and other law enforcement partners, we continue to work aggressively to address, mitigate and respond to these crimes. In addition to previously announced actions, effective immediately, the University will take the following steps to deter this criminal behavior:
- Expanded Hours at South Campus Welcome Center: We are increasing the hours of operation at the South Campus Welcome Center. Starting today, the Welcome Center will be open from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. This means that anyone visiting during those hours without a Syracuse University I.D. will need to check in at the Welcome Center.
- Uniformed Patrol Vehicle Stationed on South Campus: A marked uniformed patrol vehicle will be positioned just south of the South Campus Welcome Center during its hours of operation. This increased visibility is intended to dissuade bad actors from coming on our campus.
- Added Patrols: Also, between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., additional patrol officers will increase their presence significantly in the residential area of South Campus. These officers will continuously patrol the housing area, and check in with students they see traversing this area of campus.
- Foot Patrols: Finally, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) will also add foot patrols on South Campus. Officers will be patrolling the area between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
As a reminder, I ask that all members of our community remain vigilant and alert for suspicious activity, and report anything that seems out of the ordinary immediately. Thanks to several calls made to DPS, just earlier this week, officers detained multiple suspects attempting to commit burglaries. Please review and continue to deploy these safety strategies:
- If you see something or someone suspicious, please call us right away at 315.443.2224. The quicker our response, the better the outcome!
- Lock your doors and windows. The vast majority of recent burglaries are the result of criminals entering through open first floor windows and unlocked doors.
- Always secure your belongings and residence before you leave and before you go to sleep at night.
- Avoid leaving your keys out in the open.
- Mark/engrave all items of value and keep a record of them, including serial numbers.
- Don’t leave credit cards, blank checks or other valuables readily accessible; these can be taken and used by a thief before you know they are gone.
- Make your house look occupied; buy a timer that automatically turns on interior and exterior lights at a predetermined time, or when there is motion.
- Ensure your outdoor lighting is working and sufficiently bright, and trim shrubs and tree branches that obscure lighting around entrances.
- Lock sliding glass doors and place a wooden dowel or metal bar in the track of the door.
- Do not leave any valuable items near residence windows or visible in your car.
- Take pictures of anything valuable, install tracking software, if possible, and document the serial numbers of all electronic devices.
- If you observe anything suspicious on campus, please call DPS at 315.443.2224 or use the Orange Safe app. To report off-campus crime, call the Syracuse Police Department at 315.442.5111. In an emergency, dial 911.
We want everyone to have a safe, restful and enjoyable weekend. Please continue to use caution and remain aware of your surroundings. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact DPS. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all members of our community. And if you come across our officers—on foot or parked nearby—please feel free to say hi and share any feedback or concerns. We are here for you; your safety is our priority.
Sincerely,
Craig A. Stone
Associate Vice President and Chief
Department of Public Safety