DPS News

July 2021 Updates From DPS

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

I hope this email finds you well. We are looking forward to everyone’s return to campus in August.

Today, I am providing updates on investigations into two recent bias incident reports:

July 10: A group of students reported being approached by a silver SUV. The occupants reportedly threw an egg that struck one of the students and then shouted anti-Semitic language. Since then, we have:

  • Interviewed the impacted individuals to gather as much information as possible
  • Performed a search of the area to look for the vehicle in question
  • Extensively reviewed camera footage from the area to track and identify the vehicle in question
  • Reviewed law enforcement databases for specific data related to the vehicle in question
  • Interviewed a separate victim, with no affiliation to the University, in a possible related incident that happened in the City of Syracuse six days later
  • Followed up on reported tips and information that have generated additional interviews
  • Continued review of law enforcement databases for similar incidents to generate additional leads
  • Reviewed past incidents in law enforcement databases for similar instances to generate leads

July 20: Flyers contained language derogatory toward Chinese and African American individuals. To investigate, we have:

  • Searched the area to look for additional flyers; none of which were found
  • Recovered flyers for analysis
  • Interviewed several witnesses to gather more information
  • Extensively reviewed camera footage and other electronic logs to identify a possible person of interest

Our team has worked collaboratively on both cases with the Syracuse Police Department and the New York State Police. As a reminder, if you have information about these cases or others, please call DPS at 315.443.2224. You can also anonymously report non-emergency information to DPS through the Silent Witness tool or the Rave Guardian mobile app.

Any bias-motivated incident reported to DPS will be posted on our public site, so that our campus community can remain informed. You can also report a bias incident and receive support through the STOP Bias website.

You may also subscribe to the bias incident page.

Sincerely,
Chief Bobby Maldonado

Message from DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

Earlier today, a Syracuse University student living on South Campus was arrested for possessing firearms. While the student has the appropriate gun permits, New York State law prohibits the carrying of firearms on college campuses.

As such, and thanks to the quick response of the Department of Public Safety and the Syracuse Police Department, the individual was taken into custody and has been placed on interim suspension. At this time, and per federal privacy laws, we are unable to provide any further details on this active investigation.

The safety and well-being of our campus community and our neighbors remains our top priority. Weapons are not welcome on our campus and anyone found to be in possession will face the appropriate disciplinary action.

Today’s successful apprehension is the result of an individual’s willingness to report suspicious activity. Maintaining a safe community is on all of us. I can’t stress it enough: if you see something suspicious, don’t wait, report it immediately. You can do this by calling DPS at 315.443.2224 or you can anonymously report non-emergency information to DPS through the Silent Witness tool or the Rave Guardian mobile app. And of course, you can always call 911.

Sincerely,

Chief Bobby Maldonado
Department of Public Safety

June 2021 Updates From DPS

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

I hope that the start to your summer is going well. Despite the vast majority of our community being away from campus for the summer months, we have been very busy at the Department of Public Safety (DPS).

We continue to implement recommendations made by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch. I want to highlight some of the progress:

  • We are currently in the process of interviewing candidates for our next campus peace officer academy.
  • We have secured space on South Campus for students to drop in and share their questions and concerns with our staff.
  • We have posted our Standard Operating Procedures to the DPS website consistent with recommendation No. 4 from the report conducted by Loretta Lynch.
  • We have posted our investigative steps to the DPS website.
  • The DPS staff attended in-service training in June that included all elements and the definition of a hate crime, related terminology and proper investigative steps leading up to conclusion.
  • A project team has been established to develop the technical requirements for posting appropriate crime and incident data to the DPS website.
  • As of tomorrow, July 1, the campus safety escort service will be managed by Parking and Transportation Services.

Again, this is just a highlight of the work achieved to date. To review the status of all recommendations, please visit the DPS website.

As a reminder, if you have any information about an incident on our campus, please call DPS at 315.443.2224. You can anonymously report non-emergency information to DPS through the Silent Witness tool or the Rave Guardian mobile app.

Stay safe and have a terrific summer!

Sincerely,

Chief Bobby Maldonado