The Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee was formed for the specific purpose of researching and identifying opportunities for further collaboration and enhanced partnership between our campus community and our University Police Department (UPD). UPD has worked hard to maintain a safe and secure campus for all members of the community, including working closely with our students to develop important connections. Most recently, UPD has been essential in providing valuable assistance and security in navigating the COVID-19 crisis and our University’s swift emergency response.
The committee is charged with helping to build trust between the community and the police by developing a set of principles and guidelines that can enhance the work of UPD and create a progressive culture of understanding and accountability within our campus community. Committee co-chairs are Judi Clarke, vice president of equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, and Lawrence Zacarese, interim chief of police, assistant vice president for campus safety and senior operations director for institutional resiliency and business continuity.
Committee Members
The 2021-2022 Committee Members will be selected in early May 2021. The Ad Hoc Committee Members are as follows:
Kiara Arias |
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Annapoorani Hariharan |
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Catherine Polster |
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Dorothy Corbett |
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Manny Cortes |
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Joan Dickinson |
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Catherine-Mary Rivera |
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Ifeyinwa Onyenekwu |
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Jason Trelewicz |
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Principles and Guidlines
Overview
The mission of Stony Brook’s Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee
is to provide vision and guidance related to the relationship and delivery of University
Police Department (UPD) services to the campus community. Through its members, the
Committee facilitates communication and develops a mutual understanding of roles and
expectations between the community and UPD. This highly collaborative partnership
optimizes police resources on campus by providing thoughtful insight into the safety
and security needs of our diverse campus community.
Background
On August 28, 2020, President Maurie McInnis wrote a letter to the campus community announcing the Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee, formed for the specific purpose of “researching and identifying opportunities for further collaboration and enhanced partnership between our campus community and our University Police Department (UPD)”.
“As a campus community, Stony Brook cannot achieve its core mission if it does not embrace the lessons of this cultural moment and the demands of our community. This is the foundation of the Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee’s work. Together, with intentionality, we will create a campus that feels safe and productive for all.”
The committee was charged with helping to build this trust by developing a set of
recommendations and guidelines that can enhance the work of UPD and create a progressive
culture of understanding and accountability within our campus community. The committee
was led by co-chairs Judi Clarke, Vice President of Equity and Inclusion and Chief
Diversity Officer, and Lawrence Zacarese, Interim Chief of Police and Assistant Vice
President for Campus Safety, Senior Operations Director for Institutional Resiliency
and Business Continuity.
Committee Recommendations
Structure
The ad hoc Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee recommends that a permanent structure be put in place in an advisory role to the President. The role of the standing Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee (CCPS) will be to advise the President on matters of concern or ideas for consideration regarding the relationships between the UPD and the campus community. The focus of the CCPS’s work will be to provide advice and insight into ways in which the policies, practices, and operations of the UPD effectively promote the security of the university community while fully respecting each member of our diverse community.
It is critical that the CCPS recognize the responsibility of the Police Department to safeguard the rights of all citizens, faculty, staff and students. The CCPS should review issues and concerns that its members identify, or that are referred to it from the university community. Any member of the university community may submit a matter for the CCPS’s consideration, but the CCPS is not intended to be a substitute for the established means for handling formal grievances or complaints. (see: Stony Brook University Police | University Police Department)
When appropriate, the CCPS is expected to refer concerns to the proper channels for formal consideration and action. In such cases, the CCPS may seek information regarding the overall processes and timeliness of these formal channels to determine whether changes to process or procedure should be recommended and may seek information on statistics from these formal channels to determine whether there are patterns that may need further review by campus leadership.
The Committee will deal with concerns about police and community relations, and Department policy. The Committee has no power to change or modify state law, university contracts with duly recognized bargaining units, or Department policies and procedures. If in the judgment of the Committee, changes in policies or procedures are necessary, it is the responsibility of the Committee to recommend such to the appropriate body.
Guiding Strategies
The CCPS will have four strategic objectives: awareness, communications, monitoring and reporting to use as guidelines for its efforts:
Strategy 1: The CCPS is expected to maintain an awareness of issues affecting public safety at Stony Brook University and the surrounding community.
Strategy 2: The CCPS accepts and aggregates concerns voiced by students, faculty, staff, employees, and community members, shares these concerns with the relevant campus entity, and makes recommendations for resolution.
Strategy 3: The CCPS provides input on programs and projects aimed at improving campus safety and promotes positive interaction between UPD and the campus community.
Strategy 4: The CCPS communicates with the campus community about its work.
Membership
The standing Committee should include broad representation and inclusive perspectives from the campus community, including undergraduate students, graduate student, postdocs, faculty and staff. The membership will be determined collaboratively between institutional, faculty, and student leadership.
Committee Meetings
In an effort to keep the lines of communication open and to ensure that issues, concerns and insights have a forum for discussion, the CCPS is expected to meet at least once per semester, and more frequently as circumstances warrant, as determined by the chair.
If and when disagreements arise as to the conduct of the meetings of the Committee, Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail.
The President’s office may provide administrative and other needed support to the CCPS. Minutes of CCPS meetings will be taken and distributed to members within fifteen days of each meeting. At the request of the Chair, the CCPS may meet with the President annually.
The CCPS may host an open public forum each academic year to receive concerns or to provide information to the university community. Members will be asked not to comment in the press or on social media regarding issues under consideration by the CCPS.
The CCPS should maintain a website that includes minutes of meetings and other relevant materials.