On Tuesday, July 18, from approximately 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., DPS will be filming updated scenes for the “Run. Hide. Fight.” video. There will be an increased presence of uniformed staff around the Life Sciences Complex during this time.
Please follow us on Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook for the latest information or updates to the filing schedule.
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
I hope you are finding a chance to rest and relax with family and friends this summer. In anticipation of the fall semester, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is hard at work preparing for Syracuse Welcome in August.
In today’s message, I will provide brief comments on the following subjects:
On Tuesday, July 18, from approximately 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., DPS will be filming updated scenes for the “Run. Hide. Fight.” video. There will be an increased presence of uniformed staff around the Life Sciences Complex during this time.
A reminder will be issued on our social media channels on the morning of the filming. Please follow us on Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook for the latest information.
Our newest Peace Officer Academy recruits continue to make strides in their training. Since early March they have completed over 680 hours of trainings, including New York State penal, vehicle and traffic laws; crime prevention; ethics and professionalism; a field sobriety testing unit; and successfully passed their physical fitness test. They are now in the process of completing defensive tactics training.
These recruits will continue to gain valuable experience in the coming weeks as the academy nears the finish line. For the latest updates from our academy, please follow DPS on Instagram at @SyracuseDPS.
DPS is proud to be partaking in the University’s Summer Internship program. This collaboration between Syracuse University and the Syracuse City School District Career and Technical Education program places rising high school seniors into a six-week work opportunity that aligns with their chosen learning pathway.
We have the honor of working with three of these wonderful students throughout the next several weeks. They will interact with our entire Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services team. I am eager to see how these students grow by immersing themselves in our day-to-day operation.
I would like to highlight our Residential Safety team members who recently worked together to make a difference for the CNY community. Residential Safety Commander Kathy Pabis and Residential Safety Supervisors Eric Wagner and Joseph Parker delivered 106 pounds of food and a cash donation to the Food Bank of Central New York this past month.
The food and monetary donations were collected from several members of the Residential Safety team as part of a walking/step challenge throughout April and May of this year. The monetary donation alone will provide 300 meals for the CNY community. That, coupled with the food donation, is something we hope will make a positive difference in our community.
Summer is officially here and that means more members of our campus community will utilize additional means of transportation. Please keep these important safety reminders in mind if you use a bicycle, scooter or skateboard:
For more safety tips, visit the safety strategies webpage.
June 13: DPS has identified individuals believed to be responsible for targeting a Syracuse University student with anti-Asian language. The individuals were issued no trespass warnings.
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. In addition, to report a bias incident or to receive support, visit the STOP Bias website.
Hope everyone continues to have a safe and enjoyable summer!
Sincerely,
Chief Craig A. Stone
Department of Public Safety
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
It was wonderful having so many visitors on our campus this past month. Being able to celebrate a successful Commencement weekend was a fantastic end to the semester. As we head into the summer months, I will continue to provide you important updates from the Department of Public Safety (DPS).
In today’s message, I will touch on:
R.A.D. Summer Session Sign-Ups Open
R.A.D., which stands for Rape Aggression Defense, is a nationally known self-defense program. Join the Department of Public Safety for this women-only self-defense course offered exclusively to Syracuse University students, faculty and staff on the following dates:
All sessions will be held in the Skybarn on South Campus from 5 to 8 p.m. Faculty and staff have the option to attend with their daughters (anyone 18 years old and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). To learn more and register, visit the DPS website.
Peace Officer Academy Update
I am happy to report that the current group of recruits in our peace officer academy is making excellent progress. Throughout the past several weeks, our recruits have made great strides in their physical fitness training and spent a week going through the Emergency Vehicle Operator Course.
They will continue to tackle many other trainings throughout the next couple of months. For the latest updates from the academy, please follow our Instagram page: @SyracuseDPS.
Employee of the Month: May 2023
I am pleased to share that Office Coordinator Tracy Poushter has been selected as our May 2023 Employee of the Month.
Tracy was selected due to her creation and implementation of a process to digitize and archive administrative files. On top of that, she is extremely flexible with her hours in ways that help our entire operation run smoothly. Congratulations to Tracy!
ICAT Training
DPS is moving forward with ICAT (Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics) training for all sworn personnel. ICAT is a training program developed by the Police Executive Research Forum that provides first responding police officers with the tools, skills and options they need to defuse a range of critical incidents successfully and safely. This initiative was endorsed by the Community Review Board following its review.
Two of our officers became certified instructors in ICAT training earlier this year and thanks to their experience we were able to see how this training would improve DPS. Learn more about ICAT by visiting its training guide webpage.
Bicycle, Scooter and Skateboard Safety
With the warm weather now here, more members of our campus community will utilize additional means of transportation. Please keep these important safety reminders in mind if you use a bicycle, scooter or skateboard:
For more safety tips, visit the Safety Strategies webpage.
Monthly Bias Update
May 23: DPS has identified an individual believed to be responsible for targeting students with harassing and biased messages in a Snapchat group chat. Screenshots provided to DPS show a specific Snapchat user targeting students based on race, gender and sexual orientation. The individual in question has been referred to the Office of Community Standards.
May 19: A Syracuse University student reported on Oct. 7, 2022; Dec. 10, 2022, and May 3, 2023, that hateful language was overheard at Lawrinson Hall that targeted the LGBTQ+ and Roma communities.
Update: DPS has met with the reporting party to gather additional information. Please contact us if you have any knowledge of these incidents.
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. In addition, to report a bias incident or to receive support, visit the STOP Bias website.
Hope everyone has a safe and productive start to the summer!
Sincerely,
Chief Craig A. Stone
Department of Public Safety
The Syracuse University Department of Public Safety (DPS) is currently accepting sign-ups for its R.A.D. summer session. R.A.D., which stands for Rape Aggression Defense, is a nationally known self-defense program. This women-only self-defense course is being offered exclusively to Syracuse University students, faculty and staff on the following dates:
“The R.A.D. self-defense program is a pillar of the various trainings that DPS offers to the campus community,” says Associate Vice President and DPS Chief Craig Stone. “R.A.D. courses are taught by our nationally certified instructors who cultivate a welcoming environment where safety and self-defense measures are at the forefront.”
All sessions will be held in the Skybarn on South Campus from 5 to 8 p.m. Faculty and staff have the option to attend with their daughters; please note that anyone 18 years old and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. To learn more and register, visit the DPS website at dps.syr.edu or contact Michael Patsos at mpatsos@syr.edu.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Fraternity and Sorority Affairs partnered for an Earth Day cleanup on April 22, which brought together 10 DPS team members and 128 Greek members from 47 chapters to volunteer their time and effort to clean up the east neighborhood in Syracuse. The cleanup covered Ostrom Pl., Ostrom Ave., Livingston Ave., Sumner Ave., Ackerman Ave, Lancaster Ave., Redfield Pl., Clarendon St., Maryland Ave. and Thornden Park. A full truckload of garbage was picked up and disposed of at Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency’s refuse facility.
The idea for the cleanup event stemmed from Associate Vice President and Chief of DPS Craig Stone, and DPS led the coordination of locations and details. While it was the first time organizing such an event, the turnout and end result left a lasting impression on those involved and an excitement to continue this next year.
“I was immensely impressed with the turnout for the neighborhood cleanup. Over 100 students took time out of their Saturday morning to help make a positive difference for our campus community,” said Stone. “DPS is looking forward to continuing this initiative in the future.”
“Seeing our student volunteers and members of the DPS team work together was awe-inspiring and truly indicative of what it means to be part of the Syracuse University community. This is the first of many Earth Day events sponsored by DPS and we look forward to partnering with Fraternity and Sorority Affairs going forward in regard to this most worthy cause,” added DPS Sergeant John A. Stephens.
Shane Corridore, a junior in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and member of Sigma Alpha Mu, reflected, “The most meaningful part was just seeing how many people decided to be there and help out. The vibe was amazing, and everyone had a good time helping the community.”
“Service is a core value of the fraternity and sorority community, so when DPS approached us with this idea, we knew our chapter members would be eager to volunteer to make a difference in the local area,” said Tiffany Dennett, director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. “We expect this will become a staple of the many service projects our chapters support throughout the year.”
Story by Student Experience communications intern Wanshi Zhang ’23
