Five members of the SUNY Old Westbury University Police Department were among those commended today by State University of New York Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson during the 2019 Police Awards, a program organized annually by the SUNY Police Chiefs Association.
The annual awards honor lieutenants, officers, and staff who played a key role in life-saving events in the past year, as well as others on the New York University Police force for their outstanding professional service.
From SUNY Old Westbury, Lieutenants Christopher Annunziato and Renee Znack; Investigator Ryon Burnett; and Officers Brett Cruickshank and Devin Gottlieb were named winners of the Professional Service Award.
The Professional Service Award recognizes members for acts that greatly enhance the operation of the respective university police departments.
“I commend the men and women of our university police department for their tireless commitment and vigilance in keeping our students and campuses safe,” said SUNY Chancellor Johnson. “While these awards recognize several outstanding officers, today and every day we thank and appreciate all of our officers across our campuses for their hard work that allow us to deliver the highest quality education for our students.”
The University Police Department at SUNY Old Westbury is one of 27 such departments throughout the state university system. In that capacity, the department is tasked with maintaining a secure campus and insuring a safe and advantageous environment for learning and community socialization. To achieve this, the University Police Department operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, regardless of the weather conditions. All members of the College's University Police Department are certified New York State Police Officers with the same authority as any other state, local or municipal police officers within New York State.