CUNY police warn of inadequate preparation for expected anti-Israel protests amid staffing shortages
Police officers at the City University of New York (CUNY) say that the university administration has not adequately prepared for the expected wave of anti-Israel protests that could rock the university this fall.
Police officers at the City University of New York (CUNY) say that the university administration has not adequately prepared for the expected wave of anti-Israel protests that could rock the university this fall.
“The university is going into this under fire – they have no idea what’s going to happen. There’s no preparation,” a CUNY police officer, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, told The New York Post.
The officer detailed that there have been “no meetings” to prepare for additional protests, and that “everyone went on vacation” after the spring semester.
“There have been no meetings about any of this,” the officer described. “Ever since the encampment ended, everyone went on vacation. There’s no ‘Let’s prepare for September.’”
Another officer explained that there are currently not enough officers in the police force to adequately respond to a spontaneous protest, which could lead to the anti-Israel demonstrators significantly outnumbering law enforcement.
“It’s going to be bad. Our numbers just aren’t there,” the officer told the Post. “If there’s a spontaneous protest that we don’t have any knowledge of, we’re going to be outnumbered – just by the sheer number of students enrolled, we’re outnumbered.”
One officer described that CUNY’s police department is woefully behind in recruiting and that the school is not using enough funds for campus safety.
“There’s no retention anymore with our police,” the officer stated. “Our academy class used to be 100-to-150. We’ve got five now – five in the academy class. That’s how bad it got.”
“They pay is so low for these guys and they’re paying millions for contractors to be here with no training, no background,” said the police officer. “They’re not concerned about the students and the staff. They’re worried about their image and making sure the students express their freedom of speech.”
As Campus Reform has reported, the CUNY police officers are not the first people to criticize university administrations for failing to prepare for more anti-Israel demonstrations this fall.
“We haven’t seen much from universities yet. We haven’t seen many that are proactive,” maintained Julia Jassey, CEO of Jewish on Campus. “We had hoped that heading into the school year that universities would be better prepared than last year.”
In July, Campus Reform reported about one anti-Israel protestor’s warning that the anti-Israel demonstrations will return.
A CUNY spokesperson told Campus Reform: “CUNY’s top priority is the safety of our students, faculty, and staff, and earlier this week, our Chancellor and campus leaders met with the New York State Executive Chamber to discuss safety plans for the upcoming semester. University leadership has been in ongoing communication with campus directors of public safety, academic and student affairs regarding their preparedness for the fall.”
”CUNY Public Safety has been holding preparation and planning sessions. Our officers undergo extensive and continuous training certified by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and we are grateful for our officers’ continued dedication to keeping our campuses safe,” the spokesperson continued.
Campus Reform has contacted the City University of New York for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
