City University of New York Public Safety Department

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 108.41.160.197 (talk) at 04:56, 11 October 2014 (→Power and Authority). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 04:56, 11 October 2014 by 108.41.160.197 (talk) (→Power and Authority)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "City University of New York Public Safety Department" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Law enforcement agency

City University of New York Department of Public Safety
File:Cunypolicepatch.jpg
Common name	City University of New York Public Safety
Abbreviation	CUNY DPS
Motto	"Service - Integrity - Pride" "Protecting and Serving the University Community"
Agency overview
Formed	1992
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	New York, New York, USA

Map of City University of New York Department of Public Safety's jurisdiction
Legal jurisdiction	New York State
General nature	Local civilian police
Operational structure
Campus Peace Officers	600+
Agency executive	William Barry, University Director of Public Safety
Facilities
Colleges	24 Colleges All colleges operated by the City University of New York
Website
CUNY Official Site

The City University of New York Public Safety Department (CUNY Public Safety) is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in New York City and the largest university law enforcement department in the nation. The department is tasked with protecting all campuses owned by the City University of New York (CUNY) and to enforce state and city laws on and off campus grounds 24 hours a day 7 days a week. With over 600 officers, the CUNY Public Safety Department serves and protects more than 540,000 students, 35,000 faculty members and other employees, along with 300-plus buildings on almost 27 million square feet of space, throughout the five boroughs of the City of New York. It was the first university law enforcement agency ever to respond to an act of war.

History

In 1990 under the order of then University Chancellor, W. Ann Reynolds, the CUNY Public Safety Department was formed after CUNY found a need to provide public safety services for its own community. The Public Safety force at each of the 19 CUNY campuses were headed by Directors. These Directors eventually were designated as Chiefs. The first officers to be brought on were sergeants who were retired police officers from New York City Police Dept. These officers laid the groundwork for a department that would grow to 600 members strong. In 1991 the first patrol officers were added to the ranks. These new patrol officers and their sergeants were designated as Special Patrolmen and were sworn in by the New York City Police Commissioner. After a few years, the officers received recognition by the State of New York as Peace Officers and were then commissioned by the state. In time the ranks of Corporal, Lieutenant and Specialist were introduced.

Reporting directly to the Director of their respective command, there are three types of Specialist: Crime Prevention/Investigations, Electronics Service, and Fire Safety. In recent years, the rank of Deputy Chief and Director has been added to the rank structure.

As of September 2011, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has officially employed CUNY Public Safety Sergeants, phasing out the student-employed Public Safety Field Supervisor position. The student position of Public Safety Officer was phased out in January 2013. Public Safety Sergeants hold Peace Officer status throughout the state of New York.

Ranks

There are eight titles (referred to as ranks) in the City University of New York Public Safety Department:

Title	Insignia	Uniform Shirt Color
Chief		White
Deputy Chief		White
Director		White
Lieutenant		White
Sergeant		Dark Blue
Corporal		Dark Blue
Specialist		Dark Blue
Campus Peace Officer		Dark Blue

Incidents

A deadly stampede during a 1991 celebrity basketball game at City College of New York organized by Sean "Puffy" Combs and rapper Heavy D sparked CUNY to upgrade its level of security on its campuses. The tragic incident at City College left 8 people dead and 29 injured.
In the 1990s, CUNY suffered student take overs of its campuses during tuition hike protests. Students locked the University Administration out and were removed only after the NYPD was called in. These two incidents prompted the University to speed its development of an in house public safety force that it could use to enforce university policy as well as the laws of New York State.
On September 11, 2001, the city was the target of terrorist attacks. CUNY's Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) lost an academic building called Fiterman Hall due to the collapse of the World Trade Center. The City University of New York BMCC Campus is the only higher education institution to have been directly affected by the 9/11 attacks. During the rescue and recovery operation for the World Trade Center, the Port Authority Police Department set up headquarters at CUNY's BMCC campus. The CUNY Public Safety SAFE Team evacuated neighboring apartment complexes such as Independence Plaza and assisted in area access control.

Operations

File:CUNY Safe Unit Patch.jpg

The CUNY Public Safety S.A.F.E Unit patch

Depending on location and training, officers can be selected for specialized units that allow the agency to better serve the community. Some of these units include:

Uniformed Patrol: Officers patrol on foot, on bicycles, segways, in marked and unmarked patrol cars. patrol cars. These patrols are on campus and in the neighborhoods which the university is located in.

Bike Patrol - The bike patrol unit is part of the Uniformed Patrol. Officers are required to complete a 5 day intensive course to qualify in pursuit bicycle handling, bicycle safety, patrol techniques, and maintenance.

Emergency Medical Services: There are many officers throughout that are Emergency Medical Technicians. Though ordinary trained as peace officers, these officers are NYS certified Emergency Medical Technicians. Many members of the department are volunteers. CUNY has not yet obtained an Operating Certificate to be recognized by NYSDOH, NYCREMSCO & FDNY to operate as an EMS provider.

Canine Unit: Currently there is only one member of the unit. Over the years, there have been five German shepherds in the CUNY Canine unit. The K-9 officers go through 17 weeks of training provided by the Yonkers Police Department and they receive Certification from the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services. After the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11, the CUNY K-9 Unit dispatched four dogs to assist during the response, whose dogs were suffering from burned paws and smoke inhalation. Currently, there is only one member of the unit. In 1992, the unit won a national competition for best canine unit. They outperformed units from various agencies including, the New York City, Suffolk County and Nassau County Police Departments.

Civil Disturbance Response Unit (SAFE Team): The CUNY Public Safety Department has a team of officers who are responsible for a multitude of emergency services throughout CUNY and New York City to include, but not limited to: large disorderly crowds, executive protection, etc.

Emergency Management: During times of extreme emergencies, CUNY Public Safety operates 10 evacuation centers throughout New York City. CUNY is part of the NYC Coastal Storm Plan Emergency Sheltering System. These centers were opened during the extreme snow storms of 2010 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. During Hurricane Sandy, Currently many officers have training through Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and other FEMA programs. When these emergencies are in effect, CUNY Public Safety maintains liaison officers at the New York City Office of Emergency Management, 24 hours a day. In addition, CUNY Public Safety has many officers that are Fire Safety Directors. Fire Safety Director are responsible for implementing the building's fire prevention and safety plans. Their duties are various. They must maintains records and performs inspections as required by New York City law. Also, they must conduct, supervise and evaluate all fire drills.

Public Safety Academy: The Public Safety Academy is a regional training facility that trains many different agencies from around the Greater New York City area. Some of these agencies are, but limited, New York City Health and Hospital Police, NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission Enforcement and Brooklyn Public Library. The academy is responsible for the initial 13 week CUNY Campus Public Safety Officers Course, annual training and additional training on law enforcement issues and topics. All instructors are New York State certified and teach a wide of variety of courses.

Future of Operations and Units

The restructuring of the S.A.F.E Team to be more reflective of other emergency response units throughout the New York City area is also under consideration.

Training

The CUNY Public Safety Academy is located at York College in Jamaica, Queens. New trainees are required to attend a 13 week Campus Public Safety Officers Course. The "Campus Public Safety Officers Course" includes training in:

Equipment and vehicles

CUNY officers are equipped with an ASP baton, pepper spray, handcuffs, flashlight, bullet resistant vest, and a radio that is directly linked to a Central Dispatcher and to other officers. Although CUNY officers are trained to use physical force, only officers at certain post assignments carry a firearm due to current CUNY policy. Historically, the university had anti-law enforcement sentiment. All officers are unarmed. Some officers assigned to the SAFE team, special assignments, and officers authorized by their college president. The department uses numerous vehicles including vans, bikes, scooters, and patrol cars.

Power and Authority

CUNY Campus Peace Officers are New York State Peace Officers authorized to make warrantless arrests and to use physical and deadly physical force. As per N.Y. CPL Law 140.25, they may arrest for misdemeanors and violations committed in their presence, and they may arrest for felonies, whether in their presence or not, if probable cause exists. Their powers to arrest are strictly limited to their "geographical area of employment," which are CUNY Campuses. Off-campus, CUNY Peace Officers are equivalent to ordinary citizens.

Some Campus Peace Officers are authorized to carry firearms with the approval of their college president and accords to NYPD pistol License section. Colleges such as Lehman and Brooklyn College have a few armed supervisors, in uniform and plainclothes. Several other campuses have officers that carry on special assignments and have at least one to two firearms on campus on a regular basis. Still, the majority of Campus Peace Officers are unarmed.

Relationship with the NYPD

The working relationship between the NYPD and the CUNY Public Safety Department is good.

References

External links

v t e Law enforcement in New York City
State	New York State Police New York State Court Officers Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTAPD) MTA Bridges and Tunnels Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) New York State University Police Roosevelt Island Department of Public Safety
City	Police Department (NYPD) School Safety Agents Administration for Children's Services Police Business Integrity Commission Department of Citywide Administrative Services Police Department of Correction Department of Environmental Protection Police Fire Department Fire Marshals Health and Hospitals Police Department of Health and Mental Hygenie Police Department of Homeless Services Police Human Resources Administration Police Department of Investigation City Marshals Sanitation Police Parks Enforcement Patrol Department of Probation Sheriff's Office Taxi and Limousine Commission Enforcement City University of New York Public Safety Department
Private	Co-op City Department of Public Safety Hunts Point Department of Public Safety New York Racing Association Law Enforcement and Safety Division Parkchester Department of Public Safety Spring Creek Towers Department of Public Safety (Starrett City) Sea Gate Police Department
Crime in New York City

Categories:

Misplaced Pages