Director of Public Safety

Queensbury, NY
SUNY Adirondack

SUNNY Adirondack

Salary: $79,711.00 – $89,674.00 Annually

Broad Function

The Director of Public Safety acts as the principal campus safety official and provides strategic guidance and planning to promote a safe campus environment and ensure a proper atmosphere for the pursuit of the educational mission of SUNY Adirondack. The position is responsible for the management, supervision and effective operation of the Department of Campus Safety and is responsible for developing and recommending policy and procedure relative to safety issues. The Director is ultimately responsible for successful program planning and supervision of department personnel. The Director ensures that department programs and operations are consistent with principles of community policing and are sensitive to the student and employee population that the department serves. The Director is also responsible for the development and maintenance of an effective emergency operations framework to ensure the protection of life, the environment and property in the event of a campus emergency.

Major Responsibilities

The Director of Campus Safety is responsible for the overall operation and management of the Department; the development, management, and performance of all department personnel; planning and leading the campus response to all safety and security emergencies and for managing the internal response to such events; and developing and maintaining productive working relationships across campus.

Operations and leadership

  • Establishes departmental strategic goals, project management, and monitors results.
  • Deploys a community policing system that promotes safety on campus, administers policies, procedures and programs that build trusting and positive relationships with students and are sensitive to the developmental need of students.
  • Establishes a departmental training program inclusive of Peace Officer training; Security Guard training; fire-arm training; and diversity, inclusion, equity and anti-bias training;
  • Leads the response to complex safety or security incidents on campus and determining the best course of action to promote student success and safety.
  • Formulates and recommends campus policy relative to safety and security issues.
  • Develops, approves and implements departmental Standard Operating Procedures and ensuring they remain current relative to College policy and best practices in the field.
  • Supervises the production and accuracy of all department regulatory filings and other reports including maintaining records associated with department operations in compliance with record retention policies, including incident reports and crime logs.
  • Ensures adequate incident reporting and management and works closely with the Dean of Students, Director of Residence Life and other student affairs administrators as needed.
  • Works with colleagues and external constituents to plan and deliver safe campus activities.
  • Maintains SUNY Adirondack’s DCJS Security Guard Training School program.
  • Addresses all matters with sensitivity to a college environment and in a manner consistent with the high expectations for confidentiality.
  • Serves as the Chair of the college’s Campus Safety Advisory Committee and the Emergency Management Team.
  • Acts as liaison with outside law enforcement agencies.
  • Conducts security assessments, manages all security related assets, equipment, tools and systems (inclusive of Campus door access control systems, camera systems, emergency phones, emergency notification system, vehicles, equipment issued to officers, emergency guides, etc), and makes recommendations for improvements or enhancements to physical and personal security.
  • Assists the Director of Facilities with campus-wide Fire Safety responsibilities including conducting fire drills, monthly and annual inspection of fire alarms and extinguishers and fire code compliance, coordinating with the local Fire Departments, NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control, and local Ambulance and EMT. Responsible for annual Campus fire inspections set by the NYS office of Fire Prevention and Control and ensures that all Campus buildings achieve annual Certificate of Compliance. Assists with troubleshooting and repair of Campus wide fire alarm system outside of regular business hours.
  • Recommends an annual budget to the Vice President and managing department expenditures responsibly within that allocated budget.
  • Carries out managerial assignments as assigned by the Vice President.
  • Ensures compliance with college and SUNY policies and regulations as well as local, State, Federal (including Clery) and profession-specific legal and regulatory compliance.
  • Informs and updates the Director of Facilities of campus conditions in the event of inclement weather.
  • Ensures department properly notifies the Facilities staff in the event call in emergencies of maintenance/grounds staff are needed.

Supervision and Employee Relations

  • Recruits, selects, trains and mentors of all department personnel.
  • Supervises Assistant Director and Peace Officer II positions, oversight supervision of 24/7/365 campus safety personnel.
  • Ensures adequate 24/7/365 coverage.
  • Ensures that department personnel maintain currency of knowledge in campus law enforcement policy and practice relative to student needs, relevant state law, college policy, procedures, and protocols.
  • Advises and assists Human Resources on department labor issues relative to the collective bargaining agreement and/or Civil Service Law.
  • Assesses the job performance of department personnel and recommends extensions, terminations, corrective actions, and successful completion of probation to the Vice President.

Emergency Planning and Response

  • Serves as the Incident Commander in the event of a campus safety emergency and coordinating the internal response of the College’s Emergency Management Team, law enforcement and other safety-related personnel. Serves as the liaison to external law enforcement and safety agencies.
  • Proposes enhancements to the College’s Emergency Management Plan such that the plan is current and effective in supporting the College’s response to a crisis.
  • Develops and delivers training programs that promote campus safety for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Required Skills

  • Demonstrated ability to relate well and communicate effectively with a variety of people (campus leadership, colleagues, direct reports, faculty and staff, students, residents, visitors, law enforcement agencies and the general public), from diverse backgrounds, in a diverse campus-setting;
  • Ability to obtain the support and cooperation of the entire campus community in conducting a successful campus safety program;
  • Demonstrated ability to prepare and communicate information in both written and oral form;
  • Judgment/acuity, tact, professionalism, resourcefulness, transparency, dependability.
  • Knowledge of practices and procedures required to ensure safety of people and maintenance of order and security of buildings and grounds, including in an emergency.
  • Proficiency in general office technology including Microsoft and Google.
  • Ability to design, develop and conduct training, such as tabletop exercises to enable the college to protect against, respond to, continue during, and recover from natural and human caused emergencies.
  • Knowledge of investigation and interviewing techniques and methods.
  • Experience in conducting in depth internal investigations of law enforcement personnel in incidents of a serious nature.

Educational Requirements

(1) Associates Degree in Criminal Justice or a similarly related field from an accredited college or university and 10 years of progressively responsible experience in community police-related law enforcement with a minimum of one year in a supervisory capacity; or
(2) Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice or a similarly related field from an accredited college or university and 8 years of experience in community police-related law enforcement with a minimum of one year in a supervisory capacity.

Other Requirements

  • Meets the qualifications to be a sworn Campus Peace Officer;
  • Eligibility to obtain a firearms license pursuant to Section 400 of the New York State Penal Law;
  • A valid New York State driver’s license;
  • Separated from prior law-enforcement related service in good standing
  • Demonstrated experience in the current trends and developments in community-based policing, traffic management, crowd control, property access control, and crime prevention;

Preferred Qualifications

  • Proficiency with Department of Criminal Justice Services
  • Certified Firearms Instructor with DCJS
  • Security Guard Training School Director Certification
  • Previous experience Directing a Public Safety department in a higher education setting
  • Demonstrated ability to manage a complex operation in a union/civil service setting;
  • Leadership and administrative experience in a higher education setting;
  • Working knowledge of college student development and a demonstrated understanding of supportive practices in behavior management for the principal population served by the department;
  • Knowledge of principles and practices of supervision and administration in a campus-based safety and security setting;
  • Prior successful completion of all NIMS Training courses appropriate for an Incident Commander is preferred and experience as an Incident Commander on a college campus is highly desired.
  • Experience with strategic and operational planning and department budgeting

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements
Office environment. Frequently lifting 5 – 10 lbs.

Direct reports
Assistant Director Public Safety, Peace Officer II (2)

Disclaimer: This position is ineligible for a NYS retirement waiver for employment.

Full consideration will be given if application is received by October 18, 2024

SUNY Adirondack values diversity and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

SUNY Adirondack is actively recruiting diverse faculty of all backgrounds. In efforts and our commitment to the goal of building a diverse workforce we are participating in PRODiG. PRODiG (“Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth”) aims to increase the representation of historically underrepresented faculty at SUNY including underrepresented minority (“URM”) faculty in general and women faculty of all races in STEM fields (“WSTEM”). Click this link https://www.suny.edu/prodig/ to find out more about PRODiG.