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Community Members
Academic Year Summary
For the 2002-03 academic year, the landlords contributed $16,200 toward the program. In addition to its financial support, SPOA members continually tried to improve the safety of the university area through researching similar projects at other universities and by educating neighborhood residents on ways they can protect themselves.
During the 2003-04 academic year, SPOA contributed approximately $23,000 in support of the NSP. These finances, coupled with those requested by the Southeast University Neighborhood Association (SEUNA) from the UNSAAC grant, funded another year of the patrol. SPOA was committed to improving safety in the university neighborhood area through its collaboration with the NSP again, as illustrated by both its financial contribution and continued efforts to educate tenants on safety issues.
In 2004-05, the NSP was very active. The NSP was funded in part by SPOA and through the SEUNA's requested UNSAAC grant funds. A new component of the patrol was a pilot program involving the Department of Public Safety, the Office of Off-Campus Student Services and the Syracuse Police Department. Along with monitoring the neighborhood, Syracuse Police officers followed-up with victims of crimes, such as burglaries and break-ins, to ensure the individual's safety and to educate about crime prevention.
During 2005-06, the NSP was hard at work in the university east neighborhood. Like the previous year, SPOA contributed $22,000 to the patrol, and SEUNA requested additional funding from UNSAAC to cover the weekend patrol. The officers who work in the east neighborhood found new trends in behavior and proactively worked with students to ensure their safety throughout the year. Officers stopped students who walked alone at night and offered rides home. The officers also educated students and residents of personal safety precautions. After Thanksgiving, members of SU's Department of Public Safety and the SPD went door-to-door to distribute safety information for students to prepare to leave for winter break. This activity is just one of the ways in which the NSP continues out to off-campus students to promote safety.
The 2006-07 Neighborhood Safety Patrol (NSP) officially began its work in the university east neighborhood on Tuesday, August 22, 2006. The NSP detail functioned as seamless as ever, however several changes were made to its administration and organization.
During the first three months, there were several discussions about the status of the NSP and its budget. Multiple suggestions were made for resolving SPOA's reduction in funding from approximately $22,000 to $5,000 for the year 2006-07, while still maintaining full NSP coverage from Sunday through Saturday evenings during the academic year. It was unfortunate that solutions that appeared to have potential for success were not in the end supported by all parties. One proposal discussed to reduce the weekend coverage from two officers to one in order to stretch the UNSAAC funding allotted for the weekend patrol. After much discussion, community members expressed concern with this option and chose to use the UNSAAC grant to pay for two SPD officers on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the academic year.
The safety of our students and the quality of life in the east neighborhood are always a priority and a concern for Chancellor Cantor and Syracuse University. Therefore, with no other viable option at this late date, the Chancellor decided to fund weekday patrols (Sunday through Thursday evenings from 8 pm - 12 am) when the SPOA funding was depleted. This one-time funding secured coverage in the east neighborhood through the end of the academic year in May 2007.
We were pleased that SEUNA has agreed to request seven-day per week NSP funding through UNSAAC for 2007-08 and Chancellor Cantor has agreed to increase the University’s NSP contribution to match the higher level.
The 2007-08 Neighborhood Safety Patrol (NSP) officially commenced patrols in the university east neighborhood on Tuesday, August 21, 2007. The NSP detail has once again experienced a change in participation and organization, though the coverage will remain as inclusive as possible.
SEUNA participated in the 2007-08 UNSAAC grant application process and after careful review and Common Council approval; $75,000 was allocated to fund the NSP coverage. Scheduling priority has been given to weekends and times of warm weather when students are more apt to be walking at night. The NSP Advisory Committee scheduled remaining patrols to provide coverage in the neighborhood each day the students are on campus. However, this year, due to financial obligations, the Syracuse Property Owners Association (SPOA) has stepped down from the NSP. This has created some gaps in coverage during the year and the NSP committee recently met to brainstorm creative ways to ensure student safety and positive quality of life.
The 2008-09 Neighborhood Safety Patrol (NSP) began its first patrol of the academic year on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. The NSP experienced a higher than expected level of activity, due largely in part to warmer weather that extended later into the fall. To meet these challenges, the NSP dramatically increased its patrol, which resulted in a significant jump in the number of individuals ticketed in the neighborhood. The enhanced detail was very successful in addressing behavior and concerns and by mid-October, the level of activity had noticeably decreased.
Once again, SEUNA submitted a grant application to UNSAAC and received $80,000 to fund the Neighborhood Safety Patrol. Because of the strategic budgeting and the help of the NSP Advisory Committee, there was adequate funding available to cover the unexpected increase in patrols during the fall semester. Priority remains on the weekends and holidays, but the Orange Watch program continues to supplement the law enforcement agencies in the area throughout the entire week. The Orange Watch program has also expanded its efforts in community policing by visiting with neighbors, speaking with students, and helping to prevent students from becoming victims of crime by offering them rides, if they are walking alone. The Department of Public Safety and the Syracuse Police Department continue to foster a healthy and close working relationship through the Neighborhood Safety Patrol.