Student Association leaders attended a monthly meeting with the Department of Public Safety earlier this month to discuss the department’s recent initiatives.

SA President Mackenzie Mertikas and Vice President Sameeha Saied spoke with representatives from DPS and Syracuse University’s Parking and Transit Services. Topics discussed included the expansion of DPS shuttle services, the addition of new campus security cameras and efforts to increase the department’s visibility and improve student relations.

“DPS has made a lot of changes with their transportation offerings,” Mertikas said. “We’re going to make sure we keep getting information from them so we can push that out to students.”

The DPS safety committee consists of SA representatives, as well as staff from DPS and the Parking and Transit services, said Kathleen Pabis, DPS patrol commander and chair of the committee. They meet on a monthly basis during the academic year to address issues relating to university health, safety and security, Pabis said in an email.

“This was a preliminary meeting to give us updates on all the events and initiatives (DPS) have put on to try and connect more with students on campus,” Saied said.

Mertikas said DPS has expanded transportation options by adding two accessible vans to its existing late-night shuttles. The new drivers hired to operate the vans have been cleared through university background checks, Saied said.

The department has also enlisted six officers to expand its late-night neighborhood walking safety escort program, Pabis said. The program’s purpose is to have three to five uniformed DPS officers stationed along Euclid Avenue, Walnut Park and Marshall Street to escort students and faculty to their destinations after dark, she said.

The Parking and Transit Services confirmed details about the trolley service coming to campus in November.The program will launch with four trolleys in operation, each capable of seating 16 to 22 riders.

The committee further discussed the ongoing installation of 11 new security cameras on and around the SU campus. The cameras are being installed in collaboration with the Syracuse Police Department, as some fall outside DPS jurisdiction.

The cameras are meant to enhance safety across campus, and the footage will provide leads to investigations, Pabis said.

Kennedy Hagens, co-chair of SA’s Diversity Affairs Committee, spoke with DPS representatives earlier this month during a separate Student of Color Advisory Committee meeting.

DPS has been striving to diversify its force by hiring officers from underrepresented groups, she said. The department also recently engaged in mandatory training centered around racial bias, discrimination and understanding the experiences of students of color, Hagens said.

“DPS wants to put on an event where they can showcase the new officers to the student body and show that they have been trying to diversify, and that they have seen the concerns students have had,” she said.

Saied said DPS officials at the safety committee meeting also spoke about their efforts to better communicate with students. These efforts include hosting events, such as the “Coffee with a Cop” event held Oct. 2 — aiming to helping students get to know the DPS officers and become familiar with the resources available to them on campus.

The safety committee hopes to continue working with SA to better understand the concerns of SU students, Pabis said.

“One of our target goals is working on ways to bridge the gap between students and DPS by continuing to work on our relationship with them,” said Pabis. “We do this through our collaboration with SA, who bring the concerns of the students back to our meetings to discuss.”

Published on October 13, 2019 at 9:19 pm

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu