Ominsky: Public Safety’s public face

The next time you are in trouble while traveling abroad, facing scams online or even stuck with a flat tire, the Department of Public Safety would like to help.

This is the sentiment the department hopes to convey to the campus community in public seminars in the upcoming year.

“I would like to think [that] if something happens to you [when you’re] off the campus ... you can call us for help,” said Paul Ominsky, who took over as director of Public Safety in January.

The seminars are one aspect of a slew of changes that Ominsky has implemented recently to further engage the department with the campus community. Nearly a year into his tenure as director, Ominsky has made alterations that include changing officer uniforms, shuffling the department’s command structure and increasing officer interactions with students.

These changes represent a broader theme Ominsky brings to the position: a strong emphasis on what he calls Public Safety’s role as a “community caretaker.” And a key element of that goal is expanding the department’s engagement with student life and emphasizing that Public Safety officers are approachable and an aid to students.

“My best description for any [police officer is that it’s] really about being a helper,” Ominsky said in a recent interview in his office, where a large whiteboard filled with dozens of “to-dos” covers one wall.

Indeed, Ominsky has been busy.

He has already encountered two of the biggest controversies Public Safety faces on campus: arming officers and the University’s emergency alert system.

Only days after arriving on campus, Ominsky delivered introductory remarks and outlined the various issues surrounding arming officers at a Whig-Cliosophic Society debate in February. Audience members voted in favor of arming, though just a month before, the USG formally recommended against arming based on the results of a student survey.

Another point of controversy was Public Safety’s handling of a March bomb threat at the construction site of the new Frick Chemistry Laboratory. Ominsky said at the time that there was “some logistical confusion” in authorities’ response to the threat, and students criticized the University for selectively alerting only those in the buildings affected. The University defended its decision to only notify students and staff who were directly affected, arguing that there was no real threat to safety of those not in the buildings.

But in addition to handling controversies faced by the department, much of Ominsky’s time has been spent looking for ways to strengthen its image across campus.

Following a change implemented over the summer, Public Safety officers now wear black baseball caps instead of typical police hats. Ominsky said that the baseball caps represent a “little more relaxed” appearance and make the officers more approachable. Also, Public Safety officers who are not sworn police officers now wear white polo shirts. This change was intended to make them easier to distinguish from sworn officers, who receive the same training as municipal police officers and wear dark blue uniforms.

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In addition, Ominsky has tried to find additional ways “to get [officers] out of their cars and walk around” in order to increase their interaction with students and staff. Statistically, his goal appears to have succeeded.

Last year, officers interacted with the campus community about 3,000 times per month on average. Now, the department’s 68 officers have roughly 10,000 interactions per month, including anything from a quick conversation to a response to a crime.

Ominsky has encouraged officers to conduct more foot patrols and building checks, which gives them the opportunity to interact more with the campus.

For example, officers now respond to every door alarm, activated when an alarm door is held open too long or is quickly pulled open as it closes. After responding to the alarm, the officers are encouraged to stick around. “It’s an opportunity for officers then to walk around the building,” Ominsky said.

Another goal is the expansion of community relations, which includes the new educational seminars.

To that end, Ominsky appointed Sean Ryder in October to be the department’s community relations sergeant.

A main focus of Ryder’s role involves listening to community members so that the department better knows how it can fulfill their expectations, Ryder said in an e-mail.

“Some of the best information I have received has been over a cup of tea with a local resident or kicking a soccer ball around with a group of teenagers,” said Ryder, reflecting on his two decades of police work in the United States and United Kingdom.

Ominsky has also reached out to the Alcohol Coalition Committee and the eating clubs to discuss issues surrounding safe drinking.

In November, Ominsky facilitated a workshop with the ACC to discuss the relationship between Public Safety officers and students. Elizabeth Borges ’11, the student co-chair of the ACC, praised Ominsky’s involvement. “I think it really strengthens our work ... when we have a Public Safety director who is so willing and ready and able to contribute and to listen,” she said.

“I’ve just been so thrilled with all of the conversations I’ve had with him,” Borges added. “He really cares about the student experience and student safety.”

Amy Campbell, the University’s director of campus life initiatives and the other co-chair of the ACC, echoed Borges’ sentiment. “Paul has brought a warm, engaging and honest approach to the ACC conversations, nicely integrating Public Safety with the overall mission of the ACC,” Campbell said in an e-mail.

“We look forward to continuing our conversations and engagement with Public Safety as an integral partner in our work to address high-risk drinking on campus,” she added.

Ominsky also coordinated with the officers of Terrace Club for Public Safety to train them in CPR. Thirteen club members took the four-hour classes taught by Public Safety officers in October, said club president Andrew Chong ’11, who reached out to the department. He also praised Ominsky’s work so far.

“I honestly do feel that he has the students’ best interests at heart, which I think is most important,” he said.

In addition to changes in the department’s public appearance, Ominsky is also making changes to the internal structure of the department. He has altered the command structure by adding several sergeants, which makes the organization chart look “less flat,” he said.

“The structure will help us be a better department and be more consistent with our response to concerns and issues,” Ominsky explained.

Ominsky is also planning for the department to apply for state accreditation, which formally affirms that a department is following best practices and procedures. Of the more than 500 law enforcement agencies in the state, he said, only 40 to 50 are accredited. “I think Public Safety should be one of them,” he explained.

Ominsky came to campus in January after spending 18 years as director of public safety at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. He also became public safety director of both Smith and Hampshire colleges as part of a consolidation of public safety services that he oversaw.

“It’s really rewarding work,” he said. “I’m still listening to the community about the type of Public Safety the community wants.”