DPS News

Public Safety Update: Incident

On Friday, December 15th, 2017, at approximately 10:45 a.m., the Department of Public Safety Department (DPS) and the Syracuse Police Department (SPD) responded to 720 University Avenue, the United States Post Office at Marshall Square Mall, in regards to a suspicious package call. The package was located outside of the Post Office and employees believed that it may have contained something dangerous.

The area was evacuated as a precautionary measure while the incident was investigated.

The SPD Bomb Squad and K-9 Units responded to the scene to assist in the investigation. The package was later determined to contain a compact style refrigerator, and was not a threat to the community.

United States Postal Investigators and the ATF assisted in this investigation.

The Marshall Square Mall has resumed normal operations at this time.

Public Safety Notice: Incident

On Friday, December 15, 2017, at approximately 10:45 a.m., DPS and Syracuse Police Department are investigating an incident at Marshall Square Mall. The Mall is closed. Please stay away from the area until further notice. More information to follow.

Message from DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado

Dear Syracuse University Families:

Over the last few days, I have talked with many of you about the safety of the University community in light of a handful of recent incidents near campus.

I write today to assure you that the Department of Public Safety (DPS), in close partnership with the Syracuse Police Department (SPD), is working vigorously to maintain a safe campus community.

Our chief priority is and will always be the safety of our students, faculty and staff. As such, DPS will continue to do the following:

  • Orange Watch patrols, which focus on expanded DPS presence in key areas on North and South campuses and in the neighborhoods north and east of campus, will continue through the semester break.
  • The University Area Crime-control Team (UACT) patrols, which is staffed jointly by DPS and SPD and patrols in the immediate off-campus and fraternity/sorority neighborhoods focused on robbery and burglary suppression, will continue through Sunday, Dec. 17, with concentration on the areas impacted by the recent rash of incidents.
  • Campus patrols will spend more time patrolling the fringe of campus in an effort to prevent these crimes.
  • DPS/SPD investigators are working collaboratively to solve the recent crimes by reviewing security video footage and conducting interviews.

In addition, we are constantly evaluating our practices to ensure that we are responsive to the safety concerns of our campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

The University also uses the following advanced technology:

  • More than 1,200 cameras are in strategic on-campus and near-campus locations. This is in addition to the cameras the SPD owns and operates to monitor the surrounding neighborhoods where our students live.
  • Two new outdoor sirens have been installed on Main Campus, in addition to the two that already exist on South Campus and Main Campus.
  • We also have more than 140 blue light emergency call boxes around campus.
  • In the event of an emergency, we activate our Orange Alert system. This campuswide notification tool allows us to communicate directly with the community in real time to alert them of an active threat to our campus. It also enables us to communicate any action we recommend our community members take.

There are also a number of services available to our students to help keep them and make them feel safe. Students can call for a safety escort (315.443.SAFE) and sign up for the LiveSafe App on their smartphone, which acts as a mobile blue light, allowing them to contact the DPS Emergency Communications Center with the touch of a button and transmit their physical location during the call.

As chief of the Department of Public Safety and the father of a current Syracuse University student, please know that I am a resource for you and your student. Please feel free to contact me at 315.443.2224.

Sincerely,

Bobby Maldonado

Chief, Department of Public Safety

Public Safety Update: Robbery Reported

At approximately 1:40 a.m. on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, a student reported being approached by two mask-wearing males while walking in the 300 block of Comstock Avenue. The suspects exited a grey colored vehicle being driven by a female suspect. The suspects reportedly stole the student’s electronic device before returning to their vehicle. The vehicle then fled the scene in a northerly direction away from campus. The student sustained injuries during the incident and was treated at a local hospital.

If you were in the vicinity at the time of the incident, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) asks for your help in identifying the suspects. The suspects are described as two males, wearing masks, age unknown. The driver is described as female, age unknown. The vehicle was a grey colored sedan. No further descriptions were provided.

If anyone has any information regarding this incident or others, please contact the Syracuse Police Department at 315.442.5222 or the Syracuse University Department of Public Safety at 315.443.2224. If you would like to anonymously report NON-EMERGENCY information for DPS, you can use the Silent Witness tool.

Keep yourself safe by reviewing these suggested safety strategies.

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

Public Safety Notice: Robbery

On December 13, 2017, at approximately 1:44 a.m. DPS received a report of a robbery that occurred at 300 Block of Comstock Ave. 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 DPS at 315.443.2224, should you have information regarding this incident. More information to follow.