DPS News

New Chief of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services Appointed

Bringing extensive experience in public safety, campus security, community policing and emergency management to Syracuse University, Craig A. Stone has been appointed the new associate vice president and chief of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services. Stone most recently served as deputy director of the Department of Public Safety for the city of Columbus, Ohio. He begins his new role at Syracuse University on April 1, 2022.

The new position reports to Gwenn Judge, interim senior vice president and chief financial officer, and is responsible for Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services, including all administrative, operational and financial aspects of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Emergency Management, and Global Safety and Support.

To read the full announcement, visit news.syr.edu.

February 2022 Updates From DPS

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

We hope that everyone is having a strong start to the spring semester. This month we are going to highlight the following:

  • Preparing Your Residence for Spring Break
  • Be Alert for Phishing Scams
  • Monthly Bias Update

Preparing Your Residence for Spring Break

Spring Break is right around the corner, and we want to remind those who will be leaving campus to make sure you are properly preparing your residence before you leave. To enhance your safety and protect your personal space and belongings, we recommend taking the following steps.

On campus:

  • Secure doors and windows.
  • Close all curtains/blinds.
  • Make sure to lock your room door; if you have a roommate, make sure they are locking the room as well.
  • Do not give your keys out.
  • Mark/engrave all items of value and keep a record, including serial numbers.
  • Do not 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.

For those who live off campus:

  • 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.
  • Be sure your outdoor lighting is working and sufficient.
  • Lock sliding glass doors and place a wooden dowel or metal bar in the track of the door.
  • Take anything valuable with you (i.e., laptop computer, video game console).
  • Do not leave any valuable items near windows.
  • Take pictures of anything valuable and ensure that you have installed tracking software and documented the serial numbers of all electronic devices.
  • Unplug all electrical items, except your refrigerator and timers.
  • If you have a security alarm, make sure you turn it on when leaving.

As a reminder, if you see anything suspicious, for on campus, please call DPS at 315.443.2224 or use the Rave Guardian app, or, for off campus, call the Syracuse Police Department at 315.442.5111.

Be Alert for Phishing Scams

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is warning U.S. organizations to beware of a possible rise in state-sponsored cyberattacks.

Our information security colleagues within Information Technology Services (ITS) have not detected any marked increase in activity over the past week but continue to monitor for and prevent attacks. One of the most effective paths for an attacker to gain a foothold on the Syracuse University network is through phishing emails and other social engineering techniques.

Please take moment to review an alert the ITS team recently shared with the community.

Monthly Bias Update

Feb. 4: Reports of racist, threatening language directed toward the Asian community on the social media site, Discord, which markets itself as a virtual meeting and gathering space.

Update: The individual believed to be responsible for the social media posts has been identified. The case has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.

As a reminder, it is also never too late to come forward with information. You can call DPS at 315.443.2224 or submit information anonymously via the Silent Witness tool or the Rave Guardian mobile app. In addition, to report a bias incident or to receive support, visit the Stop Bias website.

Sincerely,
The Department of Public Safety

Public Safety Informational Notice: Stray Bullet Discovered in Peck Hall

During a routine property check of Peck Hall, one of Syracuse University’s Community Services Officers discovered what appeared to be a stray bullet lodged in a wall on the third floor. Peck Hall is located at 601 East Genesee Street and houses Falk College’s Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, the Department’s Couple and Family Therapy Center and the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Unfortunately, at this time, there is no way of knowing when or how this bullet made its way into the Peck Hall wall. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Syracuse Police Department (SPD) are working together to investigate this matter.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or others, please contact the SPD at 315.442.5222 or DPS at 315.443.2224. If you would like to anonymously report NON-EMERGENCY information to DPS, you can use the Silent Witness tool or the Rave Guardian app.

We know this kind of discovery can be alarming to members of our community. Please know there are resources available to you. In addition, for your safety, we have complied a list of suggested​​​​​​​ safety strategies.

January 2022 Updates From DPS

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

Welcome back to campus! We hope everyone had a safe and restful break. We have some important information we would like to share with you this month in addition to the email that was sent last week with spring semester safety reminders, including:

  • New Director of Emergency Management
  • Winter Weather Reminder
  • DPS Peace Officer Academy Graduation
  • Updates on Independent Review by Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch
  • Monthly Bias Update

New Director of Emergency Management

Last month, we welcomed William Karnadi to our team in the Department of Public Safety (DPS) as our director of emergency management and business continuity planning. Karnadi joins Syracuse University from New York University, where he served as the emergency management manager for the last several years. We are happy to have Karnadi on board and part of our team!

Winter Weather Reminder

Now that the cold and snow has settled in, whether you are new or returning to the University, please take a moment to review the winter weather message that was sent out to our community in December. This message details how and when we will communicate in the event of extreme weather.

DPS Peace Officer Academy Graduation

We are proud to announce that our most recent Peace Officer Academy class graduated last Friday. The seven graduates received their diplomas in a small ceremony with family and colleagues. Five of the recruits will continue on with DPS and the other two will begin positions with Onondaga Community College and the New York State Inspector General’s Office.

Updates on Independent Review by Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch

To date, 95% of the 23 recommendations by Loretta Lynch’s team have been completed (55 out of 58 resolutions). The latest highlights include:

  • The new South Campus Community Center opened on Small Road in late October 2021.
  • Established body-worn camera equipment replacement and policy for supervisory weekly review of camera footage.
  • Coordinated with the Student Activism Engagement Team to respond to campus protests.
  • Initiated a mandate for “no plain-clothes” details for officers that respond to campus protests.
  • Bias communications policy promulgated and checklists for bias incidents created.
  • Planning and training for DPS officers on various DPS social media channels.
  • Establishment of the Community Review Board to address complaints.
  • Offficer field training and in-service programming, including procedural justice and hate crimes training.
  • Collaborated with University communications team to streamline communications to the campus community relative to immediate threats and compliance with the Clery Act timely warnings provision.
  • One Peace Officer Academy has been completed, and another will begin during the Spring 2022 semester.

Monthly Bias Update

We have no new updates to share on the status of our investigations. If we do have updates, we will update the chart on our website, and share any developments in this monthly email. It is also never too late to come forward with information. You can call DPS at 315.443.2224 or submit information anonymously via the Silent Witness tool or Rave Guardian mobile app. In addition, to report a bias incident or to receive support, visit the Stop Bias website.

Sincerely,
The Department of Public Safety