Police and Students Work Together in New Safety Program

Police and Students Work Together in New Safety Program

As part of the PSU Police’s Student Safety Ambassadors program, student ambassadors patrol the campus grounds, walking through buildings at night. The students also help with late-night safe walks, escorting students back to their residence halls after dark.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • December 11, 2018

A new program at SUNY Plattsburgh in New York has students and police working together to ensure the safety of everyone on campus.

As part of the PSU Police’s Student Safety Ambassadors program, student ambassadors patrol the campus grounds, walking through buildings at night. The students also help with late-night safe walks, escorting students back to their residence halls after dark.

"Students utilizing their peer-to-peer model, they're more approachable than maybe we are. The uniform can put up a barrier. Most of the time when we are interacting with someone it's not on their best day," SUNY Plattsburgh Police Ofc. Coty Cowles told WCAX.

The safety ambassadors aren’t officers, but peers who can offer a helping hand to other students on campus.

"The way I see it is it's like two parents -- the nice one and the mean one. So University Police would be the mean one because they need to follow protocol and stuff. We are like, 'Don't do that, is everything okay?'" said Humberto Alvarado, one of the SUNY Plattsburgh student safety ambassadors.

There are currently three students employed as safety ambassadors by University Police. The department hopes to employ more student safety ambassadors and add interns to the program next year.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

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