False report of shooter on campus exemplifies the need for clearer communication from DPS
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On Sunday, April 9 at 10:45 p.m., Syracuse Police were dispatched in response to a report of a shooting near College Place, according to a tweet from an account called CNY911. Over an hour later, at 11:54 p.m, DPS released a message on Twitter stating that the situation was clear and the report of a shooter on campus was false. On Monday, DPS sent a campus-wide email that said the department is currently “investigating who is responsible for making this false report.”
As the incident took place, Syracuse University students had to rely on unofficial messages from resident advisors, on-campus organization group chats and the small population of students who follow DPS’ Twitter account, all without an official response from DPS or SU administration. To affirm the student body of its safety, DPS should have either sent a campus-wide email confirming the false report on Sunday evening or used the Orange Alert system.
Instead, students had to call DPS themselves for updates, rather than information being widely and openly communicated. DPS’ only campus-wide message was sent on Monday afternoon, almost a day after the incident. The incident calls into question what DPS considers a legitimate threat to students, and indicates a growing distrust throughout the student body for campus policing.
The decision to solely provide an update via Twitter on Sunday night disregarded much of the student, staff and faculty population. The official DPS Twitter page has just over 3,100 followers, a fraction of the approximate 21,772 enrolled population and 3,848 faculty members on campus. Using Twitter to make an “official” announcement places the burden on students rather than officials to spread word and contact DPS directly for updates.
Craig Stone, associate vice president and chief of campus safety, stated in the campus-wide email that the incident was due to “swatting” — an act where people call in false acts of violence for the police to send in heavily armed units. DPS did not use the Orange Alert system, as the department reserves it for an active or imminent threat of physical danger on campus, Stone said.
If DPS mandates Orange Alert only be used for imminent threats, then the introduction of a different reporting service should be put in place in order to fully inform students of any situations in which their physical safety has the potential to be compromised.
Middlebury College, a school in Middlebury, Virginia, also received a false alarm on Sunday, at 11:53 p.m. Unlike SU, the school announced a shelter-in-place order and used its alert system to keep students informed. An hour after police responded, Middlebury students received alert notifications that there was no credible threat via text, email and phone. DPS should have notified SU students in a similar way.
As Stone highlighted, swatting has been a growing threat recently. Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul met with public safety and education leaders to address an increase in swatting in New York state. Hochul called on schools to reinforce their plans for student safety.
On March 30, Westhill High School near Syracuse was placed on lockdown related to a swatting call. A number of schools in the Albany area were also targeted, including at least one high school near Buffalo. DPS should have carried over the same sense of urgency to SU’s campus, notifying the campus community as soon as it assessed the situation.
A month ago, The Daily Orange released a separate editorial board in response to a poorly-reported bias incident in Watson Hall, in which DPS took six days to address the student body about an event that threatened marginalized communities on campus. Sunday’s incident continued this disregard for student safety. On a broader scale, increases in school shootings nationwide necessitate specific active protocol and response from services like DPS.
SU students need DPS, an entity designed to protect them, to prioritize their safety. The failure to properly communicate the false nature of a shooting threat shows a blatant disregard for the necessity of an on-campus policing service. After the investigation determined that the threat was part of a swatting incident, a campus-wide notification — via email or OrangeAlert — should have immediately been sent out.
Failure to instill transparent communication practices by on-campus administrative services is a disrespect to students. Only transparent communication and consistency in SU’s and DPS’ efforts can maintain trust between campus police and students.
The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. You can read more about the editorial board here. Are you interested in pitching a topic for the editorial board to discuss? Email [email protected].
