Friday, May 18, 2012 (The Bronx, NY) - In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed Public Law 87-726, designating May as 15 Peace Officers Memorial Day during National Police Week. Hostos Community College employs 34 sworn campus Peace Officers and 11 Campus Security Assistants who provide public safety 24/7, 365 days a year.

On Tuesday, May 15 in the Savoy Building at Hostos, Chief Arnaldo Bernabe of the college’s Department of Public Safety honored the men and women who bravely serve to protect the campus each day.

The event was attended by staff, family and friends, including Hostos President Félix Matos Rodríguez, who recognized the efforts of the officers and said they play an important educational role at Hostos. “You really are educators, too. Your professionalism, conduct and behavior teach students a valuable lesson … In some ways, public safety should be a part of our core curriculum,” said President Matos Rodríguez. He also thanked them for being the “first, second and third line of defense” during the “complicated times” we live in.

Images of fallen officers from around the country were projected on a screen as each member of the college’s force received an Hostos C. C. Public Safety Service Award in recognition of continuous service and an Hostos C. C. Public Safety Meritorious Award for service in 2011.

Chief Bernabe pointed out that while CUNY Peace Officers might not wear and carry the same defensive weapons that other law enforcement do, they all accept and share the same risks.

Bernabe said that in 2011, Hostos hosted over 2,000 events that drew approximately 120,000 people.  He also pointed out that Hostos Public Safety Officers responded to 986 incidents and/or calls for help during the same year.  Of these 986 calls for assistance, 385 were medical emergencies that did not result in loss of life.

Dr. Carmen Coballes-Vega, Provost and Vice President of the college’s Division of Academic Affairs, and Vice President Nathaniel Cruz of the Division of Student Development and Enrollment Management, also attended this event and praised the work of the Peace Officers.

Other awards presented at the ceremony included the following:
Hostos Community College Special Achievement Awards were presented to Specialist Saul Fraguada and Corporal Clara Albino.

An Hostos Community College Perfect Attendance & Punctuality Award was presented to Officer Jeffery Keys

About Hostos Community College

Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, part of The City University of New York (CUNY) system, was founded in 1968.  In addition to associate degree programs that facilitate easy transfer to CUNY’s four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions, Hostos also has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies that offers courses for professional development and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. In four decades, Hostos has grown from a class of 623 in the fall of 1970 to the spring 2012 enrollment of over 7,000 students.  The college also serves an additional 10,000 students through its Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. For more news and stories about Hostos Community College, visit www.hostos.cuny.edu.

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