# Sergeant, University Police and Security



## Kilvinsky (Jan 15, 2007)

*Sergeant, University Police and Security (University Police)*
Institution:
*Suffolk University*

Location:
Boston, MA

Category:
Admin - Police and Public Safety

Posted:
05/14/2021

Type:
Full-Time


The sergeant responds to incidents (routine and critical) in connection with University public safety related events and circumstances while providing leadership and direction to subordinates in those responses. In the absence of a superior officer, the sergeant assumes complete charge of the department.
The sergeant requests and utilizes the proper cooperation of other law enforcement authorities as required to assist with the investigation of crimes impacting, or potentially impacting the University community; provides support and direct supervision to personnel under their command and participates in the design and coordination of shift assignments and activities as well as patrol deployment strategies, policies, procedures and programs; trains, directs and evaluates staff using University performance management system and practices; reviews and approves reports of incidents generated by SUPD officers for accuracy and completeness; oversees police, dispatchers and security officers assigned to their shift; ensures proper staffing levels; identifies trends of criminal activity and/or public safety concerns, using information to inform and implement preventive actions, strategies and tactics; assists in developing crime prevention programs, initiatives and activities according to the operating philosophy of the department; provides leadership and ensures accountability while facilitating teamwork, community engagement, building long-term partnerships and, problem solving efforts using shift resources under his/her command; provides direction and ongoing feedback, mentoring and support while continually placing a strong emphasis on community engagement and crime prevention, through partnerships and problem solving.
The sergeant oversees the development of various programs or projects in specialty area including, but not limited to, patrol operations, duty team liaison programs, and communications with University staff.
The sergeant is a member of the supervisory and management team and as such is expected to devote him/herself to promoting the fulfillment of the mission and values of the SUPD among those they supervise and serve with.
The sergeant conducts roll call, inspects officers for appearance, readiness and preparation for duty and briefs them on special tasks, assignments, criminal intelligence, and patterned activity; supervises, coordinates and directs patrol activities for specified shifts; responds to significant incidents, ensures that on scene response activities and investigations are conducted in a thorough manner; oversees and approves police incident reports and computer aided dispatch (CAD) entries for accuracy and completeness; actively participates in community policing activities, and coordinates and leads crime prevention and problem solving strategies designed to address identified problems.
The sergeant has immediate control over the personnel under their command and shall be held strictly accountable for their efficiency, appearance, effectiveness and discipline. The sergeant ensures officers conduct law enforcement activities in compliance with department directives and State and Federal laws; investigates initial complaints or allegations of misconduct against personnel and reports preliminary findings to the command staff. In consultation with command staff, develops effective performance goals and measurements to ensure that sworn and non-sworn members of the department under their command demonstrate the ability to deliver quality service to the University community; leads, manages and tracks subordinate community policing activities; conducts ongoing performance assessments to ensure that performance objectives are achieved and, where applicable, remediation plans are documented and acted upon; assists in the professional development of personnel, offering mentoring, guidance, direction, and relevant training to staff under their command; must also have the ability to apply conflict resolution, knowledge and utilize de-escalation practices, demonstrating appropriate response when dealing with people who exhibit mental health conditions.
Performs all of the duties of a supervisor and patrol sergeant; performs various administrative functions and other duties as required; attends in-service training, specialized training, and professional development programs as prescribed by law, regulation, and the department.
*Minimum Required Experienc*e*, Education, Background, and Certifications/Licenses *(_Consider the education, experience, licenses, and technical or specialized skills required to perform this job_)*:*

High School Diploma/GED;
Active motor vehicle operator’s license;
Possess or be eligible to obtain MA Class A (large capacity) License to Carry Firearms (LTC);
Be eligible for appointment as a Special State Police Officer under Chapter 22-c, Section 63 of Massachusetts General Law, and must retain such appointment;
Have the ability to obtain and maintain Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs powers;
Thorough knowledge of law enforcement and investigative principles, practices, response procedures, methods and systems; ability to interpret and enforce laws and regulations firmly, tactfully and impartially;
Thorough knowledge and understanding of police jurisdiction, constitutional law, and criminal laws, attention to detail, and the ability to carefully write and review written reports and CAD entries for accuracy and completeness;
Knowledge and understanding of the principles of ICS and NIMS;
Demonstrated experience and proficiency with investigative databases, technologies, resources and Strong organization and documentation skill;
Knowledge and understanding of the basic concepts of community-oriented policing, crime prevention, and problem solving;
Proficient at the First Responder level in lifesaving and First Aid methods and techniques;
Must successfully complete a medical examination, including drug screening and a psychological examination.
*Additional Preferred Experience, Education, etc. *_(Consider preferred qualifications including additional education, experience, or other job related skills)_*:*

Baccalaureate degree in criminal justice, or comparable 5 years or more police experience;
Minimum of four years of experience as a sworn officer in patrol/operations;
Certified EMT;
Specialized training and experience in Sexual Assault investigations, Crime Scene investigations, Field Training Officer (FTO), Background Investigations;
RAD, defensive tactics, CPR and First Responder;
Knowledge and understanding of Clery, FERPA, Title IX, and Police Accreditation;
Strong ability to communicate to various constituencies, including University administrators, staff, students and the general public, in both oral and written form;
Ability to work collaboratively with state and federal officials, community groups and the general public to solve problems.
*Physical activities include but are not limited to:*

Sitting and standing for extended periods of time
Walking and running as needed
Walking up and down stairs
Physically detaining a human being
Lifting, a human as needed, including pulling or pushing
Ability to utilize the human senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell
Ability to shuffle a deck of cards while singing the National Anthem of Peru
 *Work environment:*

Ability to work inside and outside of building during all types of weather
Ability to work all hours of the day 24/7
Ability to work over 8 hour shifts up to including as long as needed
Ability to sit or stand at a location for long periods of time, use of a wheel chair will 
be taken into consideration
Ability to walk for extended periods of times, unless confined to a wheel chair.
*Other Information:*
Appointees will undergo a thorough pre-employment background.

*APPLICATION INFORMATION*
Contact:
Human Resources
Suffolk University

Online App. Form:
http://app.jobvite.com/CompanyJobs/Careers.aspx?c=qg19Vfw5&j=oc8wffwP&k=Apply


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## msw (Jul 19, 2004)

This has probably been discussed before, but I haven’t been a campus cop in MA since 1977, and I’m old and lots of brain cells have died off, so I can’t remember: What advantages are their for the agency or Officer(s) to have Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff powers in addition to SSPO?


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## Glock48 (Jul 9, 2020)

msw said:


> This has probably been discussed before, but I haven’t been a campus cop in MA since 1977, and I’m old and lots of brain cells have died off, so I can’t remember: What advantages are their for the agency or Officer(s) to have Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff powers in addition to SSPO?


SSPO Authority is limited to the following:

Special State Police Officers (SSPOs) obtain their primary jurisdiction from G.L. c. 22C, § 63. G.L. c. 22C, § 631

this MGL grants to college, university, educational institution, or hospital police officers the power to:

- Exercise law enforcement authority -- including detentions, arrests, and searches; 

- Concerning any criminal offense; 

- Occurring in or on buildings, structures, facilities, lands, or roads;

- Owned, occupied, or used; By their employing institution

Sometimes the semantics regarding the terms "owned, occupied or used" are argued in court and can even get cases thrown out based purely on that facet. As such, many SSPO departments go the extra mile ensuring their jurisdiction and law enforcement power expands beyond their SSPO authority through Deputy Sherriff powers in their respective counties to mitigate this loophole.


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## Roy Fehler (Jun 15, 2010)

msw said:


> This has probably been discussed before, but I haven’t been a campus cop in MA since 1977, and I’m old and lots of brain cells have died off, so I can’t remember: What advantages are their for the agency or Officer(s) to have Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff powers in addition to SSPO?


It gives them powers of arrest off-campus, the entire city for that matter. Deputy sheriff arrest powers are somewhat limited compared to police, any misdemeanor has to be a breach of the peace in your presence.

Suffolk is much like Boston University, there’s not a traditional campus like UMass, it’s spread out over a wide area, so the chances of coming across something not on school properly is high.


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## msw (Jul 19, 2004)

Interesting info, thanks guys. Are public college/university cops (UMass, Community Colleges, etc) also SSPO - with (maybe) Deputy Sheriff powers - or do they derive their LE authority from another part of the MGL? Also, I’m guessing that public/state institution campus cops would have HR218/LEOSA authority while active and later when retired, but those with private colleges, etc, would not? Or.....???


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## Roy Fehler (Jun 15, 2010)

msw said:


> Interesting info, thanks guys. Are public college/university cops (UMass, Community Colleges, etc) also SSPO - with (maybe) Deputy Sheriff powers - or do they derive their LE authority from another part of the MGL? Also, I’m guessing that public/state institution campus cops would have HR218/LEOSA authority while active and later when retired, but those with private colleges, etc, would not? Or.....???


UMass, state universities, and state community college PD’s have statutory police powers under MGL. Some weak-minded state school police chiefs have required SSPO for their officers, even though it’s totally unnecessary, because they want to kiss the ring of the state police colonel.

Some state school PD’s also have deputy sheriff powers (I know Framingham State does for but one example) to cover anything not on campus.


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## EUPD377 (Jan 30, 2020)

Hopefully the new police certification system you all have coming will clear up some of the campus police confusion in the commonwealth. The whole confusing can of worms of SSPO, chapter 90, deputy powers, state college police powers through separate statutes, etc is completely convoluted. 

My state doesn’t do everything perfect (I wish all cops here had statewide jurisdiction) but at least if you’re a cop, you’re a cop. It doesn’t matter if you work for a city, county, the state, a private college, or a public college, or any sort of other agency in between. You can do everything any cop can do, from making arrests to stopping cars. Campus police automatically get law enforcement authority on all property owned, leased, or primarily used by their employing institution, and all streets and sidewalks adjacent thereto. On top of that, there are two methods of expanding that jurisdiction. 

One is to sign an MOU with the municipal agency, which is by far the most common. Most colleges here have a signed MOU that expands their jurisdiction at least a mile off campus, and many have city or county wide jurisdiction expansions. At my agency, we have the whole city and a mile outside of city limits.

There is also a second method in case the local PD or city government refuse an MOU (I think it’s happened once or twice, usually because of the city council not trusting campus cops). The campus agency representative can petition the district court judge for a jurisdiction expansion, and present reasons why it’s needed. Pretty much “our students frequently live and travel off campus and off campus issues often spill over onto campus” is good enough for this option. The court can then set a new jurisdictional boundary for the campus agency. My old agency used this option, and we had a signed court order on record that granted us jurisdiction within a five mile radius of our main campus, and 500 yards from any outlying properties. The city PD was happy to sign an MOU with us, but the agency decided to pursue the court order instead, as it was permanent and didn’t have to be approved by city council and re-signed every year.


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

Roy Fehler said:


> UMass, state universities, and state community college PD’s have statutory police powers under MGL. Some weak-minded state school police chiefs have required SSPO for their officers, even though it’s totally unnecessary, because they want to kiss the ring of the state police colonel.
> 
> Some state school PD’s also have deputy sheriff powers (I know Framingham State does for but one example) to cover anything not on campus.


Right on Roy! Many State schools have indeed adopted SSPO powers. This is unnecessary and has led to many of them making the choice to IGNORE the proper statutory authority granted the Board of Trustees under *MGL CH 75/S.32A (U/Mass system)* and both *MGL CH 73/S.18 *and *MGL CH15A/S.22 (State Universities and Community Colleges) *Massasoit used the SSPO issue back in 2006 to suspend illegally two officers without cause. I state "illegally" because Massasoit chose to ignore the provisions of *MGL CH 68/S.25 *which states the employee(s) are to be reinstated with back pay if charges against them are dropped/dismissed. AFSCME was complicit in some of this disgusting travesty and continue it today. Without the convoluted SSPO issue, both officers would have been back to work instead of having their careers _*shattered!!!*_


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## Joe1231913 (Jun 5, 2007)

mpd61 said:


> Right on Roy! Many State schools have indeed adopted SSPO powers. This is unnecessary and has led to many of them making the choice to IGNORE the proper statutory authority granted the Board of Trustees under *MGL CH 75/S.32A (U/Mass system)* and both *MGL CH 73/S.18 *and *MGL CH15A/S.22 (State Universities and Community Colleges) *Massasoit used the SSPO issue back in 2006 to suspend illegally two officers without cause. I state "illegally" because Massasoit chose to ignore the provisions of *MGL CH 68/S.25 *which states the employee(s) are to be reinstated with back pay if charges against them are dropped/dismissed. AFSCME was complicit in some of this disgusting travesty and continue it today. Without the convoluted SSPO issue, both officers would have been back to work instead of having their careers _*shattered!!!*_


AFSCME is complicit no longer...they have a statewide appointed police liaison who is tackling the SSPO bullshit issue as we speak. The issue with AFSCME back then and until recently was that they had nobody who actually understood their police authority, where it came from, and why they did not require SSPO authority.


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## j809 (Jul 5, 2002)

Still unarmed at Suffolk crazy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## EUPD377 (Jan 30, 2020)

j809 said:


> Still unarmed at Suffolk crazy
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The were seemingly about to be. Student government was even on their side and pushing for it. Of course, George Floyd happened around that time, so I’m sure it will never happen now.


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

Joe1231913 said:


> AFSCME is complicit no longer...they have a statewide appointed police liaison who is tackling the SSPO bullshit issue as we speak. The issue with AFSCME *back then* and until recently was that they had nobody who actually understood their police authority, where it came from, and why they did not require SSPO authority.


Actually Joe,
I appreciate and understand your current immersion.
However I was there BACK THEN, fighting as an AFSCME union steward in Local 1067 and believe me, BHE and the Union knew it very well. I was present during the four (4) years of hearings and evidence presented about this specific issue before the Labor Relations Commission. Attorney Brown representing BHE and Community colleges conceded _*officially*_ back then (2002-05) that Bridgewater State and two other colleges were operating their police officers independent from any SSPO authority or connection to "Derr Colonel" and the cert unit. We actually obtained the required signatures from nearly all the state schools, with the exception of the MCLA Cops, to SEVER from AFSCME. Suddenly faced with 172 police members trying to form their own union, the AFSCME magicians at Council 93 offered the CPO's one seat on the E-Board, and paraded a CPO I from Bristol County Community College before the LRC, where he told the compelling and dramatic story of how AFSCME "fought and won" his advancement from an Institutional Security Officer to Campus Police Officer! We had followed _*exactly*_ the severance model of the Suffolk County CO's in their prior successful severance from AFSCME to the letter. After well over two years of deliberation, the LRC ruled against us. One year later, Massasoit used the SSPO issue to destroy the careers of two honest cops who wouldn't bury sexual assault cases that had already been reported to the D.A. It's all over this forum in detail over the years, so I won't go on another diatribe about it.

Suffice to say, AFSCME is NOT and never will be a police union. Anybody who wants to stay in the mix with maintainers, library aides, administrative assistants, electricians, chauffeurs, audio visual techs, bookkeepers, mail clerks, telephone operators, dietary workers, launderers, groundskeepers, and snack bar managers, deserves the representation their dues buy them. Do the math, you are not a priority for AFSCME, because you are a tiny minority of that membership. Couple that with how popular police are with the public and it doesn't look good for AFSCME Campus Police. Sincerely wish those brothers and sisters best of luck.

BTW.........Any State School Cops who physically attended and graduated from New Braintree are now certified to work municipal and should be glad. But they are in NO WAY ever tied to being an SSPO subsequent to graduation. The only yoke holding you is the AFSCME Contract for monetary reimbursement, and the foolish "condition of employment" language in announcements etc. Remember who placed that collar and chain around your necks. 
FUCK SSPO!!!!!!!!!!!


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