Relief in short supply for NYU safety officers

As NYU trims its Public Safety budget, it has cut Public Safety hours to the point that officers are now running on a skeleton crew, guards say, pinning them to their posts and leaving them unable to respond to roof alarms, medical emergencies or, sometimes, their own bladders.

Over the past two years, the NYU Department of Public Safety has shed nearly $1.7 million from its budget through various methods, including reducing the number of officers in dorms and leaving academic buildings unguarded, even when students are inside.

The university says the changes, which are part of widespread cutbacks, haven't compromised security.

But guards who spoke to WSN over the past few weeks said the changes have had serious repercussions. Multiple guards in every building may not be necessary all the time, they say, but the cuts have severely slowed the university's ability to give the quick relief that's necessary for unexpected events that may occur.

Under department policy, guards are not allowed to leave their posts for any reason unless another guard relieves them of their duty. Of 21 guards polled by WSN, 12 said they have to wait an average of more than 20 minutes for backup to arrive when they need to attend to building or bodily needs. Five said they have waited for over 90 minutes or that no relief was ever sent. The officers were granted anonymity, since they are prohibited from speaking to the media.

Because of inconsistent relief time, six of the 21 — more than a quarter — said they sometimes leave their posts unattended. Some said they have asked an RA or housing employee to cover for them while they leave.

"Twice — that I can remember — I had to wait over two hours," a guard assigned to an upperclassmen residence hall said. "I called and complained, and they gave me grief about it."

The wait times pose particular risks to students when rooftop alarms are activated, guards said. The alarms, which were put in place to ensure that students do not have access to roofs, often go unanswered while the lone officer must wait for backup to arrive.

Michael Pidoto, president of the Local One Security Officers Union, said he once waited so long for backup to check the alarm in the Barney Building that the sounding alarm's battery died. Eventually, Pidoto gave up and called a building engineer to check the roof.

Public Safety officers on mobile patrol are sometimes called to transport students to local hospitals in non-life-threating situations. But employees in dorms and academic buildings, including the Student Health Center, said it has sometimes taken close to an hour for backup from Public Safety to respond since budget cuts began in 2007.

Public Safety officials said they have heard no such reports, with Assistant Vice President for Public Safety and Investigations Jerry Matthews calling it "unconscionable," if true.

Pidoto has filed a grievance against the university on behalf of all NYU officers, including for one guard who complained of waiting for more than 30 minutes for relief on two occasions since September. The two sides have not reached an agreement and said they believe the grievance will be settled in arbitration. NYU is now trying to verify the validity of the guards' complaints.

The Department of Public Safety said it will begin recording the time an officer calls for backup, the time backup arrives and how long assistance was provided. It had not previously collected that information, Vice President for Public Safety Jules Martin said. He added that he believes there is no problem with the current model.

"There are some times when it may have been 20 minutes [for relief] — and I'll readily admit that — but it's not the norm," Martin said. "The day tour is definitely our biggest challenge," referring to the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift. He would not say how he would try to make response times faster.

"I'm not going to tell you here that I'm going to throw additional manpower [to address it]," Martin said.

According to Pidoto, there is only one officer available for relief during the day tour. But Martin said that for every six to nine guards on duty, there is an officer available for relief and that supervisors also assist in emergencies.

"On paper, it looks that way but in practicality, it's not," Pidoto said.

Either way, guards said they often don't get the breaks they need.

"I heard a couple guys saying they carry around one of those hospital [urine] bags with them," one guard in an campus academic building said. "One guy went in his pants. They had to send him home."