University Police still have a job to do. Even as the campus sits nearly empty, with most public buildings closed and under 500 students left in residence halls, officers continue to patrol and respond to emergencies. 

“Normal calls such as fire alarms caused by activated smoke detectors, harassment, trespass, or more recently complaints regarding social distancing and public gathering rules still come in,” Velzy said. “We did have one arrest recently for criminal tampering, but overall the major crimes are down.”

In order to protect officers and the public, UP departments at all SUNY campuses have implemented a number of procedure changes. These changes are aimed at reducing physical interactions between people, while still ensuring that emergency services are available and effective. 

Now, officers are permitted to take reports over the phone, whereas before the pandemic officers were required to physically meet a complainant in order to take a report.  

“Our lobby is now secure, and people cannot simply walk into our Dispatch area,” Velzy said. “They can come into our entrance where there is a phone to talk to the dispatcher, and if we need to deal with the person directly they will be ‘buzzed’ in.”

UP officers will also not be responding to medical calls, whereas before the pandemic they would respond along with emergency medical technicians, occasionally being the first person to administer emergency treatment. 

In addition, all academic buildings are closed completely. This includes Marano Campus Center and all athletic fields, in order to limit the amount of people who come into contact with one another in those spaces. For those who remain on campus, Cooper Hall remains the only dining hall open, and only carry-out service is provided.

“Students are allowed to move about campus, just not in groups, and everyone must remain at least six feet apart,” Velzy said.

If students call emergency services in regards to a medical emergency, they will be asked a series of screening questions in order to assess what personal protective equipment may be needed before approaching the area. This is in line with precautions being taken nationwide .

In the event that UP has to respond to an emergency, officers have access to personal protective equipment including N95 masks, gloves and face shields. 

In order to ensure that the students remaining on campus are safe, UP officers continue to patrol, on foot or in vehicles. Virtual patrols are also being conducted by accessing cameras at certain locations.

If the officers do have an arrest where the defendant needs to be arraigned before a judge, the accused individual has their hearing held via Skype, from inside the department. 

“Our command staff is also attending all meetings through Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts,” Velzy said.

If students need to report a crime, they can still reach University Police at 315-312-5555, the RAVE Guardian app on their devices, or by emailing them.

For non-emergencies, students can get in touch with U.P. via their Facebook page, or through their official website, oswego.edu/police.