March 26, 2024
The responsibility of safeguarding the St. John’s University community belongs to the Department of Public Safety. Leading the department are Denise Vencak-Toner, Executive Director, Public Safety and Risk Management, and Lynda O’Malley, Ed.D., Director, Public Safety Training, Clery, and Title IX.
The two department leaders come from different backgrounds and have different responsibilities, but they are committed to making all St. John’s campus space safe for students, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and guests.
“We live in a world that can change in a heartbeat,” Ms. Vencak-Toner said. “So we must be aware of all that is going on. I do not think people realize that we are often the go-to people when something happens. We are often the first face people see when they arrive and the last person they see when they leave.”
Together, Ms. Vencak-Toner and Dr. O’Malley supervise a department of approximately 200 officers. Another 100 student employees are attached to the department. Its areas of concentration include personal safety, fire safety, environmental health, and vehicular issues.
Ms. Vencak-Toner has been at the University for more than three decades, following a lengthy career with the New York Police Department. Dr. O’Malley has worked in higher education for more than three decades, most recently at Hofstra University, where she earned her doctorate. Her doctoral dissertation examined the role safety perceptions have in enhancing student engagement on college campuses.
Dr. O’Malley came to St. John’s in August 2023, just in time for new student move-in day, one of the busiest days on the Public Safety calendar. Among her responsibilities, Dr. O’Malley organizes the training of campus public safety officers, investigates Title IX harassment and assault cases, and supervises the enforcement of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, which requires colleges and universities to compile campus crime statistics and safety policies for student protection.
The department works closely with the New York Police Department and Fire Department of the City of New York as circumstances arise.
“We keep track of everything,” Dr. O’Malley said. “We want people to be informed so they can stay safe and be aware of what is happening in their surroundings.”
Public Safety is among the most visible of St. John’s departments with a fleet of vehicles and a host of officers on patrol. Headquartered on the Queens, NY, campus, its officers also provide security at the Staten Island and Manhattan, NY, campuses.
In the past, the department operated in a traditional, police-like structure with fully uniformed and ranked officers. Its personnel now wear more casual golf shirts and light jackets, part of a rethinking of the department initiated by Ms. Vencak-Toner.
Officers remain as approachable as always; however, they are eager to make students, families, alumni, and visitors feel as welcome as possible.
“We try to build a community engagement team,” Ms. Vencak-Toner explained. “We might assign two people to three or four different buildings regularly. They get familiar with the people in the building and the daily comings and goings, so the students are comfortable with the officers, the officers are comfortable with the students, and the interaction is smooth.”
“When you have those positive interactions, it makes someone else more inclined to call Public Safety when they need help,” Ms. Vencak-Toner continued. “And that is what we want. We want people to know that we are here not to catch students doing something wrong, but to ensure they are safe and can have their most fulfilling experience while a student here.”
Among Public Safety’s recent initiatives are the redeployment of the campus shuttle van, which ceased operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the launch of the LiveSafe app. The shuttle operates daily, in about 15-minute intervals during peak times, and transports students, faculty, administrators, and staff from the Queens campus to the DePaul, Seton, and Henley Road housing complexes; the F subway line at Hillside Avenue and Homelawn Street; and the Long Island Rail Road’s Jamaica, NY, station. Riders must have a StormCard to ride.
The LiveSafe app, available on Google Play and in the App Store, features campus maps, emergency check-in functionality, access to location tracking if desired, and more. App users can also track the current location of campus shuttles should they need a ride.
The department also employs about 1,500 cameras on the Queens campus to ensure well-being and aid with investigations.
“Everything in public safety is a balance,” Ms. Vencak-Toner said. “You want to make people feel safe and secure, but you also do not want to make them feel locked up and unable to do what they want. We do not want students to see us as ‘Big Brother,’ but as their counterpart.”
Collaboration and communication with student groups is key to balancing campus safety. Public Safety team members regularly meet with student group representatives who are planning events, where they discuss security measures, including plans for identification checks and the use of metal detectors and fencing, if needed.
The idea is to build trust and develop a lasting relationship.
“It’s all about transparency,” Dr. O’Malley explained. “Some students do not realize there is a whole continuum of services offered by Public Safety. Part of our job is helping them understand that.”
Public Safety officers are present on campus year round. During the height of the Red Storm Men’s and Women’s Basketball seasons, they are highly visible inside and outside of Carnesecca Arena.
“You have to be careful how you handle external guests,” Ms. Vencak-Toner said. “They are harder to manage because you do not know enough about them. They also do not have the same buy-in as a student here who maybe does not want their residence hall damaged.”
A similarly busy time is late spring and early summer when most classes are not in session. Commencement can bring as many as 10,000 family members to the Queens campus, with Public Safety responsible for the health and well-being of all.
In addition, Public Safety provides security and other services for more than 50 area middle school and high school graduation ceremonies and the assorted youth camps hosted in the summer months.
“By June, we have just finished our full school year, and now we have graduations on campus,” Ms. Vencak-Toner said. “Sometimes, we have four or five a day; many New York City universities no longer host them.”
It is a daunting task, but the Public Safety leadership team embraces it enthusiastically.
“We take pride in what we do and are happy to be where we are,” Dr. O’Malley said. “Having two women in top security positions is probably unique, but we do not want it to be about ourselves. We would not be able to function without the people who work with us.”