THE DISPATCH
NOVEMBER 2020
POLICING DURING THE PANDEMIC First-Responders Adapt to Life on Campus
Amy Driscoll McNulty Officer Mark Striefsky wears a mask as he goes out on patrol. UPD officers are equipped with masks, gloves, gowns, and eye protection.
Part of UPD's plan, developed as a combination of CDC guidance and support from business partner, Coccairdi and Associates, was to adjust operations in a way that maintained readiness and response while limiting the number of people in the department.
University Police Officers have always been classified as essential employees, working overnight, through holidays, and during inclement weather. Maintaining operations through the COVID-19 shut down was not a new expectation. However, important safety protocols and PPE requirements were now a necessary part of UPD's operations to ensure that the firstresponders remained safe. UPD's plan, developed as a combination of CDC guidance and support from business partner, Coccairdi and Assoc., was to adjust operations in a way that maintained
readiness and response while limiting the number of people in the department. During the mandatory shutdown period, UPD shifted all operations to a 12 hour rotational schedule. Administrative staff worked from home but were on "stand-by" to fill in as dispatchers should the need arise.
Police officers received training and fitting for personal protective equipment and other pandemic specific protocols. When officers now respond to calls they go through the checklist: N-95 mask, nitrile gloves, gown, goggles, disinfecting wipes, etc.
Regular briefings occur in social distant spaces or virtually. The release of the Royals Safe Together plan provided details for community expectations, and officers, dispatchers, and service officers have responded by providing on and offcampus enforcement, transportation for students in isolation and quarantine, answering calls from concerned parents, students, staff, faculty and local community members all while maintaining standard operations. Protocols may have changed, but the focus remains on the safety and security of the campus community.
EDUCATION UPDATE: DE-ESCALATION & DUTY TO INTERVENE As of October 31, 2020, all sworn and non-sworn members of the University of Scranton Police Department have received updated training on de-escalation and the duty to intervene. De-escalation is the "less is more" approach to handling responses that require the presence of law enforcement. Police officers and non-sworn members of the department received this training as reinforcement of the principles of community respect and professionalism that are imbedded in the mission of the department. As an accredited agency, UPD holds itself to the highest standards of law enforcement and regularly engages in education to ensure these standards are upheld. UNIVERSITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
