DPS News

A team of Assessors from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) will arrive on Sunday, January 25, 2015 to examine all aspects of the Department of Public Safety’s policy and procedures, management, operation, and support services, Interim Chief Jill Lentz announced today.

Verification that the Syracuse University Department of Public Safety meets IACLEA’S state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation – a highly-prized recognition of campus public safety professional excellence.

Syracuse University employees, DPS employees and the public are invited to offer comments by calling 315-443-0131 on Monday, January 26, 2015, between the hours of 10:00am and 12:00pm.

Comments will be taken by members of the Assessment Team, not DPS personnel.

Telephone comments must address the department’s ability to comply with IACLEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available at the Department of Public Safety, 005 Sims Hall, located at 130 College Place on the Syracuse University campus.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the Department of Public Safety’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may send them to IACLEA, 342 North Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06117-2507.

The Department of Public Safety must comply with 239 standards in order to achieve accredited status. The DPS undertook the challenge of gaining accreditation for a number of reasons. Accreditation provides a professional benchmark with which to measure policies and procedures. It also ensures those practices are well-documented, Department personnel receive clear guidance, and qualified personnel are recruited and retained long-term.

Moreover, the process may serve to assure the University administration, University community, and other local law enforcement agencies of the quality of DPS services.

The Accreditation Manager for the Department of Public Safety is Andrea Stagnari. She said the Assessment Team is composed of experienced campus law enforcement professionals from in-state and out-of-state. The Assessors will review written materials, interview individuals and inspect facilities where compliance can be witnessed. The Assessors are: Captain Gary Heller, Amtrak Police Department, Team Leader; Sergeant Kevin Roberto (Ret.), University of Connecticut Police Department; Assistant Director Stacy DeRooy, Rochester Institute of Technology. Once the Assessors complete their review of the DPS, they will report back to IACLEA, which will then decide if the Department will be granted accredited status.

Accreditation is for four (4) years, during which the Department must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

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Officer John Bingham and Officer Kevin Haley will be honored tonight at the annual Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police Awards Ceremony. Officer Bingham will receive a Law Enforcement Commendation Award and Officer Haley will be presented with a Heroic Action Award for his response to a South Campus fire in March 2011. Jessica Wilkerson, a SU senior, will be one of three civilians at the ceremony, and will be presented with the Citizen Commendation Award, for her actions during an in-progress crime at Haven Hall.

Bingham:

Throughout 2011 Officer Bingham was instrumental in solving several serious in-progress crimes, suspicious persons, and traffic enforcement complaints on and around Syracuse University. I would like to highlight three of Officer Bingham’s investigations in 2011.

On October 8, 2011 Officer Bingham located and observed a suspicious vehicle that the vehicle had a handgun in it. After making notifications, he then assisted the Syracuse Police in keeping surveillance on the vehicle until the occupants returned. Officer Bingham’s then proceeded to assist the Syracuse Police in a felony traffic stop at the intersection of Euclid Ave and Lancaster Ave that subsequently led to the arrest of one individual for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

On Sunday, October 9, 2011 near the 1200 block of Harrison Street and on October 26, 2011 in the 700 block of Westcott Street Officer Bingham responded to a robbery that just occurred. Officer Bingham’s swift response to the calls, ability to work with the Syracuse Police Department led to the quick arrest of the suspects in both robberies without further incidents. In both cases information was developed during the continuing investigation which led to the recovery of weapons, controlled substances and stolen property.

For his actions in responding to the incidents, and his collaborative efforts with officers and supervisors from the Syracuse Police Department, John Bingham is award the Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement Commendation Award.

Haley:

During the early morning hours of March 29, 2011 Officer Haley was dispatched to a complaint of a fire at a student apartment on Farm Acre Road at Syracuse University’s South Campus.

Working with other members of the patrol division, Officer Haley responded to the fire scene, assisted in extinguishing the fire and searched for any residents that may have still been inside the structure.

While other officers were attempting to evacuate the remainder of the apartments attached to the building that the fire was located in, Officer Haley fought the fire with extinguishers from inside the structure, which was full of smoke and fire.

Officer Haley was able to extinguish the fire, assist other officers in the evacuation of all residents who may have been in harm’s way, prevent any injuries and prevent any further damage to the building or other personal property.

For his actions, Officer Kevin Haley is awarded the Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police “Heroic Action Award”.

Wilkerson:

On Sunday, March 25, Jessica Wilkerson, a Resident Advisor at Syracuse University, intervened in an in-progress forcible touching incident at a residence hall. A male student entered the hall’s main lobby and grabbed a female student.

Ms. Wilkerson heard the female student screaming for help. She pushed the male away and assisted in keeping the male in the lobby until campus peace officers arrived, after which she gave a witness statement to the responding officers. The male student was arrested.

For her selfless actions, Jessica Wilkerson is awarded the CNYACOP Citizen’s Commendation Award

Complaint Form

The Department of Public Safety will be conducting a training exercise on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 in the 100 block of Winding Ridge Rd. on South Campus.

Between 8:30 am and 11:00 am the 100 block of Winding Ridge Rd. will be closed to vehicular traffic, to provide a secure setting for a training simulation, staging an artificial accident.

Emergency personnel and vehicles from the  Syracuse Police and Fire Departments, Syracuse University and Rural Metro Ambulances, Environmental Health & Safety Services, Risk Management/Emergency Management and the Department of Public Safety will be participating in the training simulation and the equipment being used will create moderate noise.  News Services will cover the event.   Emergency personnel and vehicles will be staged at the Manley Field House south parking prior to the event.

Signage will be posted in the area to further inform the community of this planned training exercise. The Department of Public Safety thanks you for your attention and your patience. As always, in a true emergency situation we’re just a phone call away. You can reach us 24/7 at 315-443-2224.

The Department of Public Safety honored 10 of its employees, along with two members of the Students for Community Safety Program and one Parole Officer with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision at the seventh annual DPS Awards Ceremony, held at 5:00 p.m. at Drumlins Country Club on Thursday, May 1, 2014. The awards honored the exceptional achievements of DPS staff members throughout the past year. Their outstanding accomplishments continue to contribute to the safety and security of the Syracuse University community.

The award recipients were:

Saketh Binkam, a Residential Security Aid for the Students for Community Safety Program, was presented a Community Member Recognition Award for his quick action and persistence in reporting a non-complaint party attempting to enter Watson Hall that resulted in the arrest of a suspended student for harassment and trespass.

James Slater of the Steam Station was recognized for his excellent communication skills, his consistent dependability and positive attitude towards working with the DPS on any issues after-hours and for his aid on September 1, 2013, when a lightning strike incident injured two DPS officers on Syracuse University’s South Campus. Additionally, Sergeant Timothy Salanger, Patrol Senior Specialist Kim Isaac, Officer George Wazen, ECC Coordinator James Keefe, and ECC Specialist Kelly Pergrem were recognized with certificates of appreciation for their individual and collective actions that evening in response to the incident.

 

Parole Officer John Snyder of the New York State Department of Corrections was recognized for his quick and selfless action on February 15, 2014, when he joined in a foot pursuit with DPS officers and helped apprehend two suspects in a series of burglaries in campus academic buildings.

 

 

Students Jing Zhu, Rucha Avinash Somani, and Yu Sun were presented with Community Member Recognition Awards for their help in building a mobile Android application for the Department, which hosts social feeds, releases, and a map of recent incidents all on one platform.

 

 

 

Detective Cleveland McCurty, Jr. received the Grant Williams Excellence in Service Award and the Vice President’s Award for Excellence in Overall Performance for his consistent work ethic, his relationship-building with community organizations and University community members, his tireless work on DPS Crime Prevention initiatives, and his willingness to work whenever and wherever requested. The Vice Presidents’ Award is presented to an officer who performs a series of acts of exceptional achievement to the department and the University.  The Grant Williams Award commemorates the dedication and commitment to service exemplified by the late Major Williams in his four decades of service to the Department of Public Safety and to the University.

 

 

Undergraduate student Aminah Foxworth was awarded the Grant Williams Memorial Scholarship for her hard work and dedication to the Students for Community Safety Program as a Student Supervisor. Aminah sometimes works upwards of 40 hours per week filling in when necessary for shift coverage, in addition to performing well as a full-time student.

 

 

 

 

Emergency Communications Center (ECC) Coordinator Linda Koser-Martin received the Excellence in Law Enforcement Award for her help investigating numerous crimes across the campus area by searching through and cataloguing security camera footage as evidence.

 

 

 

 

 

Public Safety Residential Receptionist Susan Pope-Millet received the Outstanding Students for Community Safety Employee Award for her competence and concern at her posts in residence halls across campus. Susan knows and treats the residents and building staff with respect and her work performance is above and beyond expectations.

 

 

 

 

Officer Jeffrey Mertell was presented the Outstanding Peace Officer Award for his reliability and his willingness to help on a variety of shifts, hours, and events when the need arose. Officer Mertell took it upon himself to help resolve dangerous conditions in the Campus West area when construction made traffic and parking conditions unsafe.

 

 

 

 

The Outstanding Communications Officer Award was presented to ECC Coordinator Shannon Day and ECC Manager James Santoferrara – Day for her consistent poise under pressure, professionalism, and quick thinking on the job, and James for his adept management of the ECC’s technological infrastructure improvements.

 

 

 

 

Training Coordinator Daniel Lebron was presented with the Spirit of Justice Award for his work over the years with Toys for Tots and his efforts at providing multi-lingual safety information and presentations for Spanish-speaking and other international students.

 

 

 

The Distinguished Performance Award was presented to three members of the department for their continuing commitment to going above and beyond their required duties. Detective Robert Bleyle, Sergeant James McLellan, and Community Services Officer Nicholas Lostumbo were presented with this award – Bleyle for his work on documenting standards and procedures for Accreditation, McLellan for his flexibility and willingness to fill in on a variety of shifts and a number of capacities, and Lostumbo for his actions on January 19, 2014, when he aided in the arrest of a suspicious person who had previous trespass warnings to stay off University property.
Sergeant Timothy Salanger, Detective Michael Toia, ECC Specialist Shannon Donohue, and Officer Gregory Scheurer were presented with the Meritorious Service award for their individual and collective actions to track, identify, pursue, apprehend, and arrest two burglary suspects in a foot chase on February 15, 2014.

 

Officer Michael Patsos was presented with the Meritorious Service Award for his actions as one of the first responders to the lightning strike incident on September 1, 2013, as well as his overall efforts with planning events and encouraging department members to participate in various Health and Wellness initiatives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior Detective Ed Weber received the Chief’s Heroism Award for his actions on the night of September 1, 2013, when the patrol car he was riding in with Patrol Senior Specialist Stanley Prue was struck by lightning. Weber called for emergency medical services and worked to minimize PSS Prue’s injuries while he waited in the storm for help to arrive.

Each award recipient significantly impacted the collective efforts of the Department of Public Safety, and it is due to their efforts that the reputation of DPS as a service provider and professional law enforcement agency has continued to flourish.