Public safety is essential for the residents of Syracuse to thrive and prosper. This involves the collective work of our capable first responders: the Syracuse Police and Fire Departments, as well as the collaborative work of our ambulance partners. While crime data indicates declining violent crime, the perception of safety by residents, businesses and visitors alike is critical.

History of frayed relationships between these safety partners must be strengthened. I have been at the forefront of strategies to mend and strengthen this critical relationship and will continue to do so as mayor.

A safe Syracuse is my priority. I will work to reduce violent crime (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) that affects our quality of life. The US Surgeon General has declared gun violence as a public health crisis. I will continue to work to address the various sources of its existence in our community. There are too many illegal guns in Syracuse. I will continue to work with our federal, state and local enforcement partners to persons and systems aiding the proliferation of illegal guns in our community.

Protection specifically against violent crime must involve a multifaceted approach that includes off ramps from the road leading to jail or death for those seeking it; and enforcement leading to consequences for those who choose to continue down that road which brings harm to our neighbors.

Property crime (burglary, larceny, and auto theft) may not result in the loss of life but does result in a lost sense of safety, security and control. I'm equally committed to its reduction through specialized policing details and investigations.

I recognize the frustration felt by Syracuse residents and businesses concerning crimes committed by juveniles in our community. I am frustrated, as well. The solution is, unfortunately, complicated and dependent upon the collaboration of many partners. Our Syracuse Police Department can detain and in some cases arrest offenders. Beyond detention or arrest addressing the causes of the behavior and enforcing consequences is essential. This requires partners to who work diligently to collaborate within national, state and local regulations to identify solutions.

We all should acknowledge that the VAST majority of our young people are doing just what they are supposed to: go to school, enrich their families, plan for the future and be silly. A small minority are making choices that harm themselves and others. The solution to address their actions is not simple. It requires the involvement of our entire community (family, schools, child welfare and juvenile justice agencies and law enforcement) to identify solutions for this small segment of our community. As Mayor, I will continue to be committed to active engagement in coordinated efforts to address this community concern.

All crime, whether against people or property in Syracuse is unacceptable whether violent or not. The impact of both types of crime wears upon the very community fabric that causes us to love Syracuse. I’m committed to solutions that use balanced, multi-faceted, and data driven to ensure the public is safe.

As Mayor I will:

• Commit to supporting the recruitment and retention needs of the Syracuse Police and Fire Departments, including continued funding of cadet classes, training and equipment necessary to support our public safety professionals.

• Currently SPD must hire from a sole source civil service list managed by Onondaga County and used by all law enforcement agencies in the county. I commit to identifying and implementing a path to establishing a civil service test for Syracuse Police Department candidates only.

• Review SPD’s applicant identification and vetting process to ensure opportunity for the best applicants who choose law enforcement or firefighting as a career choice while maintaining a standard of excellence and professional expectations.

• Work with the SPD identify fiscal and operational efficiencies that grant officers opportunities to get out of their cars and engage with neighborhood residents and businesses. This includes:

  • hiring civilians for positions now occupied by sworn officers so they can commit to public safety assignments.

  • better utilizing Community Service Officers (CSO) to assist with non-violent and non-injury related incidents for report taking and resident engagement.

• Enhance the operations of the Mayor’s Office to Reduce Gun Violence (MORGV). Law enforcement leadership in Syracuse agree that we cannot completely address the issue of gun violence in our community by “arresting our way out of it”. Community Violence Intervention efforts require a multidisciplinary approach that includes law enforcement, social agencies, court systems and neighborhood stakeholders. It involves a commitment from all of us to declare that gun violence in Syracuse is unacceptable.

• Expand the city’s “diversionary response” assistance protocol which utilizes mental and behavioral health professionals to assist persons in crisis needing care and a coordinated call triage method for 911 calls. This approach reduces the need for response by sworn officers in those occurrences where there is no apparent risk of violence, freeing them to pursue priority 1 calls in our city.

• Expand Vision Zero, a plan to reduce reckless driving and make the streets safer by utilizing infrastructure enhancements including speed humps, new streetlights and crosswalk signals. This will involve developing and implementing a Complete Streets tool kit and expanding tools such as speed detection cameras, particularly in school zones, as well as sensor technology to identify road care needs due to wear and weather impact.