Role of the Department of Public
Safety
The Department of Public Safety's primary role at St. John's
University is to act as a deterrent to crime. Many of the
Public Safety officers are former law enforcement officers. Their
arrest authority is equivalent to that of any other citizen. Public
Safety officers do have the right to detain an individual(s) until
the police arrive to make a formal arrest.
Who To Contact
(Important numbers)
St. John's Department of Public Safety maintains frequent contact
with the local police department (107th Precinct Queens; 120th
Precinct Staten Island, and the 1st Precinct in Manhattan). The
police come on campus at the request of Public Safety for the
purpose of making an arrest. The police regularly patrol the
perimeter of each campus.
St. John's Public Safety officers engage in routine motorized and
foot patrols on a 24-hour basis. The officers are stationed at
various posts throughout campus. Some of these posts include but
are not limited to the following places on the Queens campus: the
main gate, Carnesecca Arena, and in the Libraries. Public Safety
officers are also posted in the six Queens campus Residence Halls:
Century, Carey, DaSilva, Hollis, Donovan and John Cardinal O’Connor
Residence Hall. On the Staten Island campus, these posts include:
Flynn Hall, Mahoney Hall, Campus Center, Main Information Booth,
and rear parking lot. On the Manhattan Campus, a Public Safety
Officer is posted at the main desk.
Areas of poor lighting and of dense shrubbery are points of special
attention during patrols.
Emergency Phone Service
There are clearly marked emergency phones located throughout the
campuses. They can summon the Department of Public Safety, which
will respond immediately. The phones are for emergency use only,
which can be, but is not limited to: car trouble for which Public
Safety can be of assistance; injury, especially when an ambulance
is required; crime prevention, whether a crime is in progress or
the potential for the criminal act is suspected; and need for the
escort service.
The Department of Public Safety is also glad to help if you have
locked your car keys in your car or need a jump start.
Escort Service
If, at any time, you are uncomfortable going from one campus point
to another, or to your car, Public Safety provides an escort
service for both the Queens and Staten Island campuses to assist
you. Public Safety honors any request for this service, supplying
an officer to escort the individual to the desired location whether
a building, a parking lot on the St. John's University campus, or,
if needed, to a car off campus, if the car is in the immediate
vicinity. This service is offered around the clock.
Building Access
For each campus, as the utilization of a building
diminishes during the day or evening, Public Safety locks the
building. These buildings are patrolled throughout the night on a
random basis to ensure the safety and security of the campus. The
same procedure is repeated during the weekend hours. On the Staten
Island campus, Public Safety locks many of the classrooms after the
last class of the day.
Exterior door access to a locked building is granted only on a
limited basis of proven need. Public Safety is prepared to escort
anyone to and from a building during non-working hours. Anyone
entering or leaving a building during non-working hours is required
to notify the Department of Public Safety.
Students, faculty and staff are required to show a valid St. John's
ID in order to gain entrance to the computer facilities, the
University Center, Carnesecca Arena, the Libraries, Residence Halls
and St. Albert Hall (after 11 p.m.) on the Queens campus and the
Gym, the Campus Center and the Library on the Staten Island campus.
Public Safety personnel are stationed at the entrance points to
check all persons entering the above mentioned buildings.
If an individual, regardless of status, does not have valid
identification, he/she should report to the Department of Student
Life, University Center Student Service Window, ext. 6257 (Queens;
Campus Center B11, ext. 4443 (Staten Island) or Room 627,
ext. 9301 (Manhattan) to obtain identification.
Emergency Medical Situations
For emergency medical situations call 911. In
non-emergency medical situations during Health Service office
hours, any individual involved in an emergency situation requiring
medical assistance should notify the Health Office directly (Queens
ext. 6360; Staten Island ext. 4447), or notify Public Safety
(Queens ext. 5252; Staten Island ext 4487), supplying as much
information as possible about the situation. The Health Service
Office is located in DaSilva Hall First Floor, room 129 (Queens
campus) and Campus Center, room B-19 (Staten Island).
Health Service Office Hours
Queens Campus
Mon-Th: 8:30am – 5pm
Fridays: 8:30am – 3pm
Staten Island Campus
Mon-Th: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Fridays: 8:30am – 3pm
Acting Responsibly
St. John's campus grounds, buildings and parking lots are
well lit and frequently patrolled, but you should still use
precaution to ensure your own security and that of your personal
property. Keep these common-sense tips in mind:
- Familiarize yourself with the campus so you can walk
confidently and purposefully to your destination.
- Don't carry valuables with you, but do keep a whistle handy in
case you ever need to attract attention.
- Be aware of your surroundings as you return to your car, or the
bus stop or your Residence Hall, and don't hesitate to call Public
Safety for an escort.
- Never leave your pocketbook unattended, even for a moment (for
example, while in the restroom, the library, or the
cafeteria).
- Never leave your bicycle unlocked outside or inside a building;
record its serial number and keep it in your permanent
records.
- Always lock your parked car, keep all personal belongings in
the trunk, and be sure your car keys are on a different ring from
your home keys. While anti-theft equipment is not infallible, one
or more will foil most amateurs and delay or deter most
professionals.
Always report suspicious activities, threatening incidents, or
unusual behavior to Public Safety. Even if nothing has actually
occurred, Public Safety would prefer to know if there is a
potential for concern.
Reporting a Criminal Act
Any violation of campus regulations or a criminal act should be
reported immediately either in person or via the phone to the
appropriate authority, either the Department of Public Safety or
the Dean of Students of the respective campus. Phone numbers and
office locations of each Dean of Students and Public Safety office
are listed on the who to
contact page.The Public Safety
Office on each campus is open 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
If a crime is reported by an individual while on campus, Public
Safety will dispatch an officer to the scene of the crime for a
preliminary report of the date, time and incident. If a student is
involved, the preliminary report will be referred immediately to
the Dean of Students for investigation. When appropriate,
individuals are strongly encouraged to report complaints to the
local police precinct. Pastoral and professional counselors, when
appropriate, inform the person being counseled of crime reporting
procedures in order to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential
basis, for inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics.
(The decision to provide this information to the person being
counseled is entirely within the counselor's professional
discretion. Persons other than professional and pastoral counselors
are required to report crimes brought to their attention.)
Additional Safety Information at St.
John's