The construction of a communications center within the Department of Public Safety resulted in a 39 percent increase in service calls received from the Syracuse University community.

The DPS Communications Center was built in the open courtyard space between Sims Hall and Lowe Art Gallery last spring. From May 2011 to May 2012, DPS dispatchers received 67,969 calls compared with 48,776 calls the previous year. The increase is due to more advanced technology and more student awareness.

‘The communications center has opened up the lines of communication and created an increased capacity for us to receive calls,’ DPS Chief Tony Callisto said. ‘The data tells us very clearly that we received the highest number of calls ever.’

Callisto said the design of the new communications center is responsible for the increase in calls. The upgrade in technology has minimized the likelihood that any calls made to dispatchers will be lost.

DPS has publicized that there are several ways to contact the department, Callisto said. Students are now able to text and email DPS for assistance. These factors can be attributed to the increased capacity for calls, he said.

Having more advanced technological equipment and space has also created an effective and efficient work environment for DPS dispatchers, said Jennifer Horvath, public information officer.

Dispatchers are now responsible for all campus alarm systems and must review the center’s TV system, Horvath said.

The center has also expanded the campus-wide camera system, Callisto said. He said this creates the opportunity for dispatchers to view different situations on campus. Additionally, DPS now has the ability to hear calls made to the Syracuse Police Department.

‘Now if there is a city police call that’s made anywhere in the jurisdiction of DPS, our dispatchers can hear that and immediately dispatch our officers,’ Callisto said.

Callisto said he was surprised to see such a significant increase in the number of calls, but he said the data showed the number of incidents that came from the calls were equal to those of previous years.

Horvath credits the increase in calls to student awareness. She said students have realized DPS is more than the campus police and that a majority of phone calls include requests for safety escorts and students with car trouble.

‘I think it’s an acknowledgement of kids being less intimidated and more willing to give us a call,’ Horvath said.  

The combination of DPS’s understanding of the community’s concerns, what the problems are and its ability to receive all of the calls will allow the department to be more efficient and create more safety for the officers, Callisto said.

Horvath and Callisto both said they want to improve the camera systems in the communications center in upcoming years. Callisto said he hopes areas of campus that are not covered on video will be in the future. There is also a plan to renovate DPS headquarters.

The plans consist of two more phases of renovations within Sims, Horvath said. The next phase will be to renovate the old communications center to create more effective space for the DPS administrative and support staff. The research lab facilities will be renovated into an improved locker room for officers and will also house a conference room, a report-writing room and an interrogation room.

The renovations that have been made and those in the works are efforts to improve the efficiency and usefulness of DPS in serving the university’s community, Callisto said. 

‘Our first and primary goal is the safety of students, faculty and staff,’ Callisto said. ‘We’re excited because each phase of renovation is improving our ability to serve the community.’

mhnewman@syr.edu

Published on May 16, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meredith: mhnewman@syr.edu | @MerNewman93