Everyone has seen the NYU Public Safety security guards around campus. They check your ID when you walk into class. They sign in your friends from out of town. They pick you up when you’re too far from your room late at night. But many students are confused about their actual job description.

Officer Parker, a guard who works at Palladium Residence Hall, said that NYU Public Safety is about customer service. Parker added that his job mainly consists of regulating the coming and going of people in buildings so that a safe environment stays intact.

Another Public Safety employee, Officer Segure, could be seen giving directions to students and visitors to the career fair on Jan. 28. When asked about daily duties, he said that each NYU building represents a unique job.

“We have the same purpose, but each building has its own personality, depending on occupancy,” he added.

Segure said that the Public Safety staff has extensive training in CPR, fire safety, first aid, customer service, crime prevention and loss prevention.

“We’re always taking training courses,” he said. “We always try to stay current with the
city environment.”

Segure also said that Public Safety stays in close contact with the New York Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Mayor’s office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in order to monitor for safety.

In addition to their more visible duties, Segure said that NYU Public Safety officers also assist the homeless by working with agencies that provide them services.

“We help with placement, treatment and relocation of the homeless in partnership with the agencies,” Segure said.

Although the department works hard to keep NYU safe, Segure emphasized steps students can take to assist Public Safety’s mission.

“We have all the utilities in place, but it only works when you stay within that safe environment,” Segure said. “Always be conscious of your surroundings. Take a snapshot of the block and look for anything out of place.”

Segure also described an amenity available to students called the Safe Haven. Various buildings near campus that are not owned by the university are participating in the Safe Haven program. Students who feel unsafe walking around the city can enter those buildings and call for public safety to escort them to wherever they need to be. You can identify Safe Haven buildings by the NYU sticker in the window.

Students can then call Public Safety to get an escort to
their dorm.

In addition to safety tips and alerts, the office uses their Facebook page and Twitter to post a weekly “Get to Know Your Public Safety Officer” feature to help students learn more about the officers they see on campus
every day.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Feb. 1 print edition. Email Yeho Hwang at [email protected].