The New York City Police Department School Safety Division is the

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LE ...

for

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...

schools. The agency is a division of the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act i ...

Community Affairs Bureau, and is one of the largest school-based law enforcement agencies in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and the United States, with approximately 5,000 school safety agents and 200 police officers.

History

The New York City Police Department School Safety Division was formed in 1998 when the School Safety force was transferred from the New York City Department of Education to the New York City Police Department. Since then, the School Safety force has expanded in duties and in number of officers. In 2006, NYPD school safety agents were classified Civil Service Status with the first DCAS Civil Service exam given on June 9, 2007.

Power and authority

School safety agents are designated as New York City special patrolmen. School safety agents can make warrant-less arrests, carry and use handcuffs, and use physical force or deadly force, if necessary, to keep students, teachers, staff and fellow agents safe. School Safety Agents are classified as

peace officers A law enforcement officer (LEO), or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include campaign disclosure specialists, local police officers, prose ...

under the New York Criminal Procedure Law.

Uniform and vehicles

School safety agents wear French blue uniform shirts with dark blue pants, almost identical to the NYPD's traffic enforcement agents (TEAs) with the exception of their eight-point uniform caps. SSAs use the dark blue caps just as uniformed police officers do. Their badge is oval with an eagle on top, in contrast to the shield worn by police officers.

Vehicles A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), ...

are either dark blue with white decals or white with light blue decals. NYPD School Safety RMP 14

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the New York City Police Department School Safety Division, two officers have died while on duty, one in 1999 and one in 2005. Both deaths were caused by

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

.New York City Police Department - Division of School Safety, New York, Fallen Officers
Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. Retrieved on 2013-08-16.

Official duties

School safety agents are often seen on the perimeters of the city's schools and inside the halls of all middle and high schools. SSA's may have only one agent in the school or many depending on the size of the school and the student population. Additionally, some Agents are assigned to squad cars, or RMP's in NYPD parlance, to respond to incidents and emergencies. Due to the peace officer status of the Agents, some assist in taking emergency calls adjacent to school grounds. SSD separates agents by "levels" with a civilian assistant commissioner of the

overseeing the administrative functions of the division. Agents may promote via examinations administered by the

New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) is a City of New York government agency. It's mission is to make city government work for all New Yorkers. It is responsible for: * Recruiting, hiring, and training City emp ...

, the city agency charged with civil service examinations. This division is not to be confused with the

NYPD school crossing guard The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest i ...

s, which are civilian employees with no police or peace officer powers. However, the two divisions often work hand in hand to provide both safe travel to and from school, as well as safety inside the facilities and classroom operated by the city's public school system.

References

External links

Official Site

Teamsters Local 237

{{Law enforcement in New York City School police departments of New York (state) School Safety Division 1998 establishments in New York City