Story by Alexa Selter, DPS Communication and Marketing Assistant,
Every night at 6 p.m., Officer Yoeun begins his shift with the Department of Public Safety. But his connection to Syracuse University and to the students he serves goes much deeper than a job description.
Yoeun has been with Syracuse DPS for three years, but his career in helping young people spans much longer. Before joining the department, he spent seven years as a school sentry with the Syracuse City School District, working on the front lines with students, teachers, and families.
“I was always in the field of helping people,” Yoeun says. “Most of the time in this kind of line of work, you’re with people in their darkest times. I found that just being there, just listening, helping redirect, that became something I was passionate about.”
Finding His Way to Campus
How Yoeun discovered DPS is a story in itself. While working security at a high school football game, he met a Syracuse football player who invited him to attend an SU game. It was his first time on campus, despite having grown up in Syracuse since moving from the Bronx in 2005.
“I actually grew up like a rock toss from campus,” he laughs. “But when I came to the game, I was like, ‘Oh, DPS, wow, I didn’t know they had their own force.’ I kind of just figured the Syracuse Police responded to everything. So that’s how I found the job. I feel like God’s timing led me here.”
What drew him to stay was the community in it of itself. With about 22,000 people calling Syracuse home for most of the year, Youen saw an opportunity to make a real impact.
“They come from all over the world, and this is where they call home,” he says. “Being able to protect them and do my best to allow them to have the best experience here in Syracuse, that’s something special to me.”
Being Proactive, Not Just Reactive
Working the night shift from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Yoeun has made it his mission to be a visible, approachable presence on and around campus. Whether he’s patrolling Marshall Street, Walnut Park, or the neighborhoods surrounding campus, his goal is simple: be there before something goes wrong.
“I hated how in our field of work, a lot of times we’re reactive,” he explains. “We get a call, we react to the call. I think there’s something special about being proactive and being a presence.”
The proactive approach often means offering rides to students walking home alone late at night, checking in with people he sees around campus, or simply being someone students can turn to when they need help.
“I can’t count the amount of times I’ve given people rides because it was too cold out or too late at night,” Yoeun says. “Those that study late at Bird and now they’re walking home at three or four in the morning, why not help them get home safely?”
Moments That Matter
When asked about his favorite part of the job, Yoeun returns to a memory that clearly stays with him: encountering a student weeks after responding to a difficult call.
“I helped a student who was going through a tough time,” he shares. “I saw her weeks later, and she came up to me and said, ‘Thank you.’ That meant a lot to me because we see a lot of people at their darkest times, and sometimes it’s ugly work. But being there after they’ve gone through something like that and hearing her say thank you, she was away from family, away from everything she knows and loves, and we were who she reached out to.”
It’s moments like these that remind him why the work matters.
“You don’t always see it, but when you do, you can see in their eyes that they’re genuine and very thankful. That’s what keeps me going.”
Building Trust Through Relatability
As a first-generation college student whose parents came to the U.S. as refugees from Cambodia during the genocide, Yoeun understands what it means to navigate unfamiliar territory without a roadmap.
“My parents came here not knowing any English, not having $1, but they were resilient,” he says. “When I went to college, I was the first in my family. I think that allows me to be relatable to some of the students here because not everyone has siblings who went to college or whatever it may be.”
For Yoeun, community policing is about looking past the uniform and allowing students to see him as a person, someone approachable, vulnerable, and genuinely invested in their well-being.
“There’s been times where I see people playing basketball, and I’ll take a shot or just start a conversation,” he says. “I think that helps. It’s about being relatable.”
Beyond the Uniform
Outside of work, Yoeun is a dad to two daughters, ages two and five, who keep him on his toes. Balancing the night shift with family life isn’t always easy, but he and his wife have found ways to make it work.
“The next day you wake up late, and my kids are up, and here I am still sleeping,” he laughs. “That part is tough, but the nighttime on campus is fun.”
When he’s on campus, his favorite spot is the Promenade, especially during bike patrol. “There’s so much going on there. People walking, watching the sunset, playing Frisbee, eating, chatting. I just love seeing that.”
Here for the Community
Yoeun’s message to the Syracuse University community is straightforward: DPS exists because students exist.
“We’re here for you,” he says. “A lot of people think they’ll get in trouble, but sometimes if you just need someone to talk to, whatever it is, we’re here. Our goal is to help you any way we can.”
Whether it’s responding to emergencies, offering a ride on a cold night, or simply being a familiar face on campus, officers like Yoeun are working to ensure that every student feels safe, supported, and seen.