free
TUESDAY
feb. 20, 2018 high 63°, low 57°
t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k |
N • Accountability policy
P • Packing a punch
Mayor Ben Walsh is working to promote government transparency policies and install cameras and sound equipment in the Common Council chambers. Page 3
dailyorange.com
People with Parkinson’s disease can find a supportive and challenging environment at Rock Steady Boxing CNY in Liverpool, where falling down is just another part of life. Page 7
S • Drumming along
After Miranda Drummond’s coach left St. Bonaventure, she needed a new home. For the 3-point specialist, Syracuse was the pefect fit. Page 12
NEIGHBORHOOD
WATCH Deputy Chief Richard Shoff spearheads Syracuse’s community policing efforts
fraternity and sorority affairs
Alpha Epsilon Pi suspended By Jordan Muller asst. news editor
The Syracuse University chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi has been suspended for violations of the Student Code of Conduct and Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs policy, an SU spokeswoman confirmed on Monday. Laura Williams-Sanders, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, said on Monday hazing was not among the conduct violations. She declined to comment further on the suspension and referred all questions to Sarah Scalese, SU’s associate vice president for university communications. Scalese on Monday confirmed hazing was not a conduct violation related to AEPi’s suspension. But she said in a statement Saturday that AEPi’s conduct threatened a student’s safety. “As soon as we were made aware of conduct that threatened the safety of a student participating in the new member process, we took immediate action to halt fraternity see suspension page 4
student association
RICHARD SHOFF, an officer with the Syracuse Police Department who has served on the force for almost 30 years, was recently appointed as Syracuse’s deputy chief of community policing. katie reahl staff photographer
By Kennedy Rose asst. news editor
R
ichard Shoff — who has been part of the Syracuse Police Department for nearly three decades, served six years in the United States Navy and has overseen every job in the city police’s community services bureau — was appointed deputy chief of community policing last month by Mayor Ben Walsh. Walsh committed to improving policing in Syracuse and championed community policing during his mayoral campaign last year. Community police officers work in small geographic areas and improve communication and responses between residents and the police department, Shoff said. As he moves forward, Shoff said he’s committed to improving recruitment of and relationships with underrepresented populations in the SPD. “Community policing to me, it’s more of a broad concept, and it should be a philosophy for the whole entire department to try and engage the community you serve on every level that you can,” Shoff said. Shoff, whose father and grandfather were police officers, has spent the last 29 years serving on the SPD. He headed the community policing division for the last eight years under former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.
Expanding outreach in Syracuse is Shoff’s long-term goal, but one activist said expanding community policing isn’t enough. Herve Comeau, an organizer for Black Lives Matter Syracuse, said the SPD needs to do more to address police accountability, and change the culture of policing. Despite understaffing, Comeau added that SPD doesn’t accurately represent the community. In 2015, only 12 percent of the department were women, and 10.5 percent were people of color, according to the SPD’s 2015 annual report. The city’s population, in comparison, is 52 percent women and about 44 percent people of color, according to Syracuse.com. “The culture around this is the problem,” Comeau said. “It’s the lack of awareness and the lack of compassion and empathy.” Shoff said one of his primary goals is to improve recruitment and engagement with underrepresented communities in Syracuse, including immigrants, black and Latinx people and women. But Shoff also said the city needs to hire more officers to improve incident response times. SPD cost the city $13 million in overtime pay in 2016 due to understaffing, per Syracuse.com. Walsh said he would hire more police officers to combat understaffing at a candidate forum last October, and announced he would hire 25 to 30 more officers last month. see shoff page 4
Assembly discusses initiatives By India Miraglia staff writer
At Monday night’s Student Association meeting, members discussed their plans for a variety of upcoming initiatives and events that SA will run and sponsor. Events discussed included Diversity Week, Take Back the Night and several initiatives by the Student Life committee, President James Franco and Vice President Angie Pati. Diversity Affairs committee cochairs Diasia Robinson and Khalid Khan introduced their initial plans for this year’s Diversity Week. That event will be held during the last week of March. SA, Pride Union, the LGBT Resource Center and Color Collective in March will host a pride parade to celebrate the LGBTQ community. Robinson and Khan suggested inviting winners of the Pride Union’s drag show, held on Feb. 15, to see sa page 4