DPS News

Public Safety Update

On Saturday, September 10, 2022, at approximately 3:40 a.m., a non-affiliate contacted contacted the Onondaga County Emergency 911 Center regarding an incident that occurred inside Thornden Park. The scene has been cleared, no Syracuse University affiliates were involved, and there is no active threat to the community.

If you or someone you know has been affected by an incident on or near campus, please know that there are resources available to you. In addition, for your safety, please review these suggested safety strategies.

This public safety information is issued for your safety in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Act.

21 – Public Safety Update

On Saturday, September 10, 2022, at approximately 3:40 a.m., a non-affiliate contacted contacted the Onondaga County Emergency 911 Center regarding an incident that occurred inside Thornden Park. The scene has been cleared, no Syracuse University affiliates were involved, and there is no active threat to the community.

If you or someone you know has been affected by an incident on or near campus, please know that there are resources available to you. In addition, for your safety, please review these suggested safety strategies.

This public safety information is issued for your safety in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Act.

Public Safety Notice – Incident

On Saturday, September 10, 2022 at approximately 3:40 a.m., the Onondaga County Emergency 911 Center received a report of an incident that occurred inside the area of Thornden Park. The Syracuse Police Department and the Department of Public Safety are on the scene and investigating this incident. We ask that you stay away from the area, at this time and that you call SPD at 315.442.5111, should you have information regarding this incident. More information to follow.

August 2022 Updates From the Department of Public Safety

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

On behalf of the team in the Department of Public Safety (DPS), we hope everyone is having a good first week of classes. It has been so nice to meet folks on campus, and I am excited for my first fall semester at Syracuse University.

If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to review the email that was sent earlier this week focusing on important safety resources and services from our department. There was a great deal of important information included. In addition to that email, I have several updates to provide today, including the following:

  • Orange Safe App Now Available for Download
  • Lock Doors and Windows
  • Peace Officer Academy Update
  • Community Police Academy
  • Monthly Bias Update

Orange Safe App Now Available for Download

We have officially launched the new Orange Safe app! This mobile safety app will replace Rave Guardian, which will officially be decommissioned on Friday, Sept. 23. Orange Safe is a free app that provides several tools designed to keep you safe. Users can stay connected and receive important campus notifications, communicate with campus safety, and gain access to resources needed most. To learn more and download today, visit our website at dps.syr.edu.

Lock Doors and Windows

As shared in the public safety informational notice earlier this week, off-campus neighborhoods continue to experience burglaries. To date, there have been no reported incidents where forced entry occurred; the alleged burglars have entered properties through unlocked windows and doors. Officers in DPS and with the Syracuse Police Department went door to door this week to share safety-related information to our off-campus students.

Peace Officer Academy Update

Our eight campus peace officer academy recruits are nearing the end of their instruction. Since our last update in June, much of their instruction has focused on combined classroom and hands-on learning and included the following topics:

  • emergency vehicle operation,
  • traffic enforcement,
  • person in crisis,
  • New York State use of force,
  • emergency medical preparedness,
  • firearms, and
  • field sobriety testing.

They still have five weeks of instruction left. Follow along on the DPS Instagram account: @SyracuseDPS.

Community Police Academy

It is not too late to submit your applications for our very first Community Police Academy. This is a free four-week program designed to give eligible students, faculty and staff an idea of what it’s like to protect and serve our campus community. For the Fall 2022 semester, the classes will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Lyman Hall, Room 020, on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 5
  • Wednesday, Oct. 12
  • Wednesday, Oct. 19
  • Wednesday, Oct. 26

To learn more and apply, visit our website at dps.syr.edu.

Monthly Bias Update

There are no new updates to share. As a reminder, if we do have additional 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. In addition, to report a bias incident or to receive support, visit the STOP Bias website.

Have a great holiday weekend.

Go Orange!

Chief Craig Stone
Department of Public Safety

Public Safety Information Notice: Burglaries in Off-Campus Neighborhood

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Syracuse Police Department (SPD) are investigating reports of burglaries off-campus in the neighborhood east of campus.

As part of our work to prevent burglaries and to identify those responsible for past burglaries, DPS and SPD are going door to door distributing door hangers with safety related information. We ask our community members, particularly those living in adjacent off-campus neighborhoods, to remain alert for suspicious activity. Burglars are looking for unlocked windows and doors as a mean to enter properties to steal items. So please, always secure your belongings and residence before you leave or before you go to sleep at night.

In addition to locking your doors and windows, we encourage you to:

• Avoid leaving your keys out in the open.
• Mark/engrave all items of value and keep a record of them, including serial numbers.
• Not to 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.
• 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.
• Ensure your outdoor lighting is working and sufficiently bright.
• Lock sliding glass doors and place a wooden dowel or metal bar in the track of the door.
• Not to 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.

If you observe anything suspicious, for on-campus, please call DPS at 315.443.2224 or use the Orange Safe app or for off-campus, call the Syracuse Police Department at 315.442.5111.