Two representatives from the Department of Public Safety fielded questions from members of the Syracuse University Student Association during a meeting Monday evening.

Associate Chief John Sardino and CJ McCurty, crime prevention coordinator, were originally slated to give an informational presentation on DPS jurisdiction, shutting down parties with “a racial undertone,” hospital transportation, Uber and the LiveSafe mobile app.

McCurty started the meeting by talking through the DPS mission statement and its services listed on the website, including the Rape Aggression Defense classes and Ride-Along services.

About 20 minutes later, the floor was given over to Sardino to answer questions for the remainder of the discussion.

Over the next hour, members of the SA assembly and cabinet asked questions about the geographic jurisdiction of DPS, the Safety Escort Program and criteria to shut down parties in light of alleged incidents at Castle Court after the win over Clemson University.

The Safety Escort Program, which operates when Centro buses stop running from 3 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., provides a walking escort or vehicle transportation home for students, faculty and staff. However, Sardino said, DPS will not transport an intoxicated student.

“We will get that person help, we will help them walk home, but we’re not going to put them in a vehicle and transport them,” he said. If a student is dangerously intoxicated, Sardino said it is standard for DPS to call Health Services or provide hospital transportation.

The geographic jurisdiction of DPS in relation to calling for emergency assistance and its policies on shutting down parties were points of contention between SA members and the DPS representatives.

Many of the students shared grievances and recommendations based on personal experience with DPS responders and which kinds of parties they observed were more likely to be broken up.

Sardino said DPS will respond to any call or noise complaint if the incident is on university property or off-campus residences where students are likely to live. But, he said, the only criteria for a party to be shut down is if one or multiple complaints are made.

“We’re not breaking up parties based on necessarily our observations and what we’re seeing,” Sardino said, referring to both DPS and the Syracuse Police Department, which DPS has a partnership with.

A comparison between parties at Castle Court and outdoor parties on South Campus getting shut down was made persistently by some SA members who voiced questions or concerns.

“I think one thing that DPS needs to understand is that this is a very diverse campus,” said Obi Afriyie, an SA parliamentarian. “When a party gets broken up on South Campus — which is a predominantly African American area — and parties aren’t getting broken up in areas like Walnut — which are predominantly white areas — you have to understand how that looks to the student body.”

Afriyie suggested higher engagement with the students earlier in their college careers by, for example, going to residence halls to meet them. When Sardino and McCurty said that already happens to low attendance, Afriyie suggested it be made mandatory.

“Believe it or not, you have more power to change that (then we do),” Sardino said.

Afriyie stressed it was important for college students to have an informed image of DPS and their policies at an early point in their time at SU.

Published on October 24, 2017 at 12:06 am

Contact Mary: mdcatalf@syr.edu | @mrycatalfamo