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Syracuse University is in the process of selecting a new chief of the Department of Public Safety following the retirement of Bobby Maldonado, who currently holds the position.

In a statement to the University Senate on Nov. 17, SU Chancellor Kent Syverud said that the position of associate vice president and chief of campus safety and emergency management services would likely not be filled by Maldonado’s retirement at the end of December.

Allen Groves, the senior vice president for the student experience at SU, chairs the search committee looking for the new DPS chief. The committee has narrowed down the search to six candidates, Groves said. Interviews with the candidates are set to take place over Zoom this week.

If the committee continues to feel confident with a candidate following the Zoom interview, the candidate will be invited for further interviewing on campus. Groves said the on-campus interviews, which includes some people outside of the initial search committee, will likely take place in January.

Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch released an independent review of DPS in February, which outlines 23 recommendations for improving the department. Groves said the report will shape the questions candidates are asked.

“Some questions will be very directed at this candidate’s view of policing,” Groves said. “How they think modern policing on a university campus should be done, where they see the opportunities to do things differently than maybe the traditional policing model.”

Following in-person interviews, the search committee will select the names of two to four candidates they believe would be good for the position, Groves said.

On the eleven-member committee, which includes Groves as chair, there are three SU students: Mazaher Kaila, the executive president of the Student Bar Association; Yousr Dhaouadi, the president of the Graduate Student Organization and David Bruen, the president of the Student Association.

Bruen said he’s been pleased with the pool of candidates presented so far.

“This entire committee, and certainly myself, we’re all committed to making sure that we make the right decision, the right pick,” he said.

Groves said he feels confident that they will finalize the selection of the new DPS chief during the spring 2022 semester. The search committee knew from the beginning that the process would be completed after Maldonado’s retirement, he said, and the university leadership also understood that.

“The caveat is, given their current employment situation, there’s a scenario in which they might not be able to join us right away,” he said. “It might be the end of the academic year or they might be able to join (in the spring).”

SU will select someone to lead the department in an interim role, a university spokesperson confirmed in an email statement to The Daily Orange. At this time, an interim leadership plan has not been finalized. Once completed, the university will communicate the plan with the general public, the statement read.

Groves said he is happy with the committee’s work so far and every member has been engaged in discussions.

“The committee is functioning very, very well,” he said. “The students have been significant contributors to the conversation. And I think that’s important, especially for a role like this.”

Published on December 9, 2021 at 12:56 am

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard