University Police

Contact Information

Bloomsburg University Police are the guardians of the university, we accomplish our mission with a focus on service, integrity and fairness, we value everyone in our community.

Our strategy is to protect life and property, and to enhance and promote safety across the University through collaboration, pro-active problem solving, open communications and the delivery of professional police services.  The Bloomsburg University Police Department philosophy of community policing embodies the importance of cooperation, education and police-citizen partnerships.  We equally believe every member of the Bloomsburg University community has a shared responsibility in their safety and reporting suspicious activity.”

Our goals are:

  • Protect, Prevent and Educate
  • Make the University the safest place to live, work and visit
  • Provide responsive, courteous, caring and dedicated police protection
  • Promote peaceful resolution of community conflicts as primary intervention

About Us

Welcome to the Bloomsburg University Police Department website. My name is Leo Sokoloski, Director of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Police Departments, on behalf of the dedicated men and women of our three departments, I thank you for visiting our websites.

We hope that you will find valuable insight into our police departments, their missions, and our role within the academic environment. The information provided is designed to be a resource for you with information on each campus’s crime statistics, agency news, safety initiatives, and the various other patrol and public safety services that police provide to the university community.

The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors is our top priority. We are committed to providing the highest level of professional police services to foster student success and a safe learning environment for all.

Our philosophy of community policing embodies the importance of cooperation, education, and police-citizen partnerships. Our commitment to this style of policing allows us to be part of the fabric of the university community and assist us in cultivating true partnerships with you, the community we serve. Police are committed to being engaged with the university community and being fully transparent constantly improving lines of communication with students, faculty and staff.

Fostering trust is a priority of each police agency which is why we have instituted the Community Policing Officers program. Our Community Policing Officers collaborate with student groups and organizations to proactively address issues and concerns and better the lives of BU students, faculty and staff. Every member of the university community has a shared responsibility in their safety and reporting suspicious activity. By making smarter choices every day, we can build an ideal environment for a stellar education. Help us keep the University safe and a wonderful place to work and study.

It’s my goal to keep our processes transparent. We want the community to know what we’re doing and why, while also asking for your feedback on how we can do better. I encourage you to call University Police any time you encounter an issue or email your feedback to us. I personally read and respond to every message, regardless of whether it’s a complaint or commendation. We’re relying on you to perfect our process and first and foremost we answer to you, the university community. Join in a dialogue with us and make this and every semester the safest yet.

The Bloomsburg University Police Department is located at the rear of the Andruss Library on Swisher Circle. All officers are Act 120 certified and receive state-mandated yearly training that exceeds state standards and provides full range law enforcement services 24 hours every day, 365 days a year. The Bloomsburg University Police Department offers a variety of resources for crime deterrence and response, including uniform patrol, bicycle patrols, investigators, community outreach and other support services. The officers work closely with area federal, state and local law enforcement agencies as well as the Bloomsburg fire department.

The police department is dedicated to preserving a peaceful and safe environment for the entire university community. Students, faculty, staff, and visitors are urged to be aware of and alert to the possibility of criminal activity on campus and to report all crimes or suspicious activity. If you "See Something, Say Something®."

The police department reports all crimes to the PA Uniform Crime Reporting System (UCR) which is compiled by the PA State Police Bureau of Research and Development. Additionally, BU PD reports annually to the Dept. of Education as required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Higher Ed Opportunity Act. The Daily Crime Log is maintained at the University Police Department and may be viewed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Bloomsburg University Public Safety Department has developed the following list of safety tips to help keep your student safe. 

  1. Practice safety in numbers - walk with a friend.  
  2. Vary your routine: different routes, different times.  
  3. Travel well lit, heavily used paths. If you take public transportation, ride-share services, or ride with friends, make sure you know where you are going, and that you are in the right vehicle.   
  4. Know your surroundings. Pay attention to what is going on around you and maintain situational awareness. This includes staying off your phone while you are moving around both on and off campus.   
  5. If you are attacked with a weapon, there is no property worth your life, give them the property they are asking for (money, cellphone, etc.).   
  6. Carry self-defense spray, whistle, or take a self-defense class.  
  7. Keep keys separate from purse or bookbag and have ready when approaching your vehicle.  
  8. Share your class schedule with parents and close friends, make sure each party has the others phone numbers and let them know your plans and changes in plans.   
  9. Lock your doors and windows (living area and vehicle) at all times.  
  10. Don't drink in excess and don’t leave your drink unattended or accept drinks from someone that you don’t know or trust. Know your limits with alcoholic beverages. Have a sober friend look after others. *Remember, if you are less than 21 years of age and you report an alcohol overdose to police or the 911 center, you provide your name, location, stay with the subject until the first responders get there, and you cooperate with police, you are immune from prosecution for underage drinking.   
  11. Trust your gut, if you feel like something strange is going on, report it. Call 911 or campus police to report suspicious behavior conduct.   
  12. Program emergency phone numbers into your phone. 
  13. University police work with their town, state police, city and borough police to keep their communities safe. 

Awards, Accreditations, Community Service Program

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Police Department has earned accreditation from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association through its Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.  BU is now one of only seven accredited Institutions of Higher Education Law Enforcement Agencies within Pennsylvania to be accredited by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. Of the 1,117 law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania, only 127 are accredited.

Accredited Law Enforcement Agency

Accreditation is a progressive and proven way of helping institutions evaluate and improve their overall performance. The process takes between 18 and 24 months and covers 136 standards and 184 sub-standards. The cornerstone of this strategy lies in the pronouncement of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives.

 

University Police work closely with BU Criminal Justice students to obtain internships within the department as well as mentor Criminal Justice Students.  BU PD employs student workers across from a broad range of majors.  BU PD  maintains a Student Community Service Program that will allow for student work study personnel to assist and support the Police Department to carry out our mission that involves the responsibility of the protection of life and property and enforcement of the law.  The purpose of this policy is to have a general guideline for the Community Service Program.  This University safety initiative engaging all student organizations, groups as a way of providing a heightened level of security services and meaningful employment on   campus. 

Officer Scott Levan was awarded the “employee of the month” in January 2020 for his outstanding service and a positive , supportive attitude.  Scott has been a member of BU PD since 2007  embracing the concepts of community – oriented policing and building positive relationships with students.  Scott is patient, polite and professional always building partnerships between police and the University community he serves.

Services

The functions of the University Police are the preservation of the public order, protection of persons and property, enforcement of the laws of the state of Pennsylvania, and the safeguarding of the individual and collective rights of the citizenry. The department utilizes a proactive concept of policing to accomplish its public safety responsibilities.

The department provides a walking escort service for all faculty, staff, students and visitors in the interest of safety. This service is available nightly from 10 PM to 1:00 AM to persons on campus going to on-campus locations. You may request this service by stopping by the department (located in the rear of Andruss Library) or by using any of the Emergency/Information Call Boxes located throughout the parking lots on campus. Or call Ext. 2211 or 5000 from any house phone.

The department will be glad to assist if you should experience difficulty in starting your vehicle. To request assistance, use any of the Emergency/Information Call Boxes. Call us at Ext. 2211, or stop by our office in the Andruss Library Annex on the Bloomsburg University campus.

University Police cannot jump start electric vehicles.

Emergency call boxes in strategic locations throughout  campus provide a direct link to University Police.  Call boxes are red-white-blue in color and can also be identified by an overhead blue light.  Use them in an emergency, not just to report ongoing criminal activity. 

Emergency Numbers and Information Call Box Locations

Crime prevention is a cooperative effort, between the campus community and the police. To better understand how to prevent crime, one must know that three elements are required before a crime can occur. These three elements are desire, a target and opportunity. A crime cannot occur if you prevent one of these elements. You can do your part in crime prevention by not giving crime an opportunity.

The department attempts to target groups and activities within the university and provides seminars dealing with crime prevention and safety. Foot and vehicle patrols are routine. An escort service is available.

  • Please lock your vehicle upon arriving on campus. Valuable items should be secured in the trunk of your vehicle.
  • Don't leave valuable items lying out in the open and unattended.
  • Properly mark or engrave your name and drivers license number on all property, including your textbooks.
  • Check with the Police Department for your lost or found property.
  • Don't walk alone at night.
  • Before walking to your vehicle, have your keys ready and look inside your vehicle before entering.
  • Report any suspicious people or circumstances to the University Police immediately. Stop a crime before it happens. Utilize the Police Department Escort Service and the Emergency/Information Call Boxes that are located in the parking lots.
  • Wear light-colored or reflective-type clothing if jogging or bicycling after dark. These activities should not be done alone. If alone, let someone know your route and how long you should be gone. Stay on lighted paths and roadways. Remember to ride with traffic and jog/walk against traffic.

The University Police Department is responsible for enforcing all of the parking and traffic regulations on campus. All faculty, staff, students and visitors must obtain and display a current permit in their vehicle. Visitors must park in a visitor designated space or in the orange lot located on the upper campus. Spaces are reserved for admission or clinic visitors. Traffic and Parking regulation booklet can be obtained at the University Police Department.

Detailed Information

Students are expected to maintain standards of personal discipline that are in harmony with the educational goals of the University; to observe federal, state, local and university laws and regulations; and to respect the rights, privileges and property of others.

Student Code of Conduct

In the interest of security, and personal protection, and in the event of emergency, everyone should carry identification at all times. Identification may be required of any person on the property."

To better serve you, the Police Department randomly sends evaluation forms to persons that have been assisted by the Police Department. This "Help Us Help You" program provides necessary feedback to help the Police Department maintain the quality service that you deserve. If you don't receive an evaluation form, and would like to comment, feel free to request a form from the department.

Important Resources and Links

Are you looking for an opportunity to use your police training in a vibrant community made up of thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors? Become a commissioned police officer at Bloomsburg University.

As an officer in the Bloomsburg University Police Department, you will enjoy a challenging. and rewarding career. On Bloomsburg's 282-acre campus, you will have a direct impact on a diverse community as you perform a variety of police duties.

As a BUPD officer, you will have ...

  • Significant interaction with students providing opportunities to positively influence others
  • Continuous opportunities for professional development
  • Leadership potential
  • Excellent medical and supplemental benefits, generous leave package, tuition waiver, annuitant health care
  • 10 paid holidays per year

BUPD Requirements

  • Pennsylvania Act 120 certification
  • One year's experience as a police officer
  • Ability to interact with a dynamic and diverse college-age population

How to apply to the BUPD

To apply for your new career as a police officer at Bloomsburg University, see bloomu.edu/jobs.

As a part of an “It’s On Us” grant, the director of university police Leo Sokoloski; sergeants Heather Comstock and John Lennon; Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Raup; and Coordinator of Sexual and Gender Diversity Carolyn Taggart, completed R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) training and are now certified R.A.D. training instructors.

According to R.A.D., the R.A.D Systems of Self-Defense are the culmination of an effort to oppose violence holistically within our society. With the approach of opposing societal violence at every level, we can revolutionize our violent culture through education. A single self-defense class will not change a people or culture, but an alliance with a systematic approach, and dedicated Instructors can.
 
BU certified instructors will plan various courses throughout the upcoming academic year. Contact the Title IX office or university police to learn more: Jennifer Raup, jraup@bloomu.edu; 570-389-4804, or Heather Comstock, hcomstoc@bloomu.edu; 570-389-2211.

R.A.D. training
R.A.D. graphic

Active Shooter Safety What you need to know from Bloomsburg University.

How to respond to an active shooter situation

Run

  • Have a primary and a secondary escape route and plan in mind.
  • Leave your belongings behind.
  • Evacuate the area, even if others don’t agree to follow.
  • Help others escape if you can do so safely.
  • Don’t attempt to move the wounded.
  • Prevent others from entering the area.
  • Keep your hands visible.
  • Call for help: BUPD — 570-389-2211 or 911

Hide

  • Hide in an area out of the active shooter’s view.
  • Try to pick an area that gives you other options of escape, such as a window or second door.
  • Lock the door or block entry to your hiding place.
  • Silence your cell phone (including vibrate mode) and remain quiet.

Fight

  • Fight as a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger.
  • Attempt to incapacitate the shooter
  • Act with as much physical aggression as possible.
  • Improvise weapons, or throw items at the active shooter.
  • If you are able to remove the weapon, secure it and separate yourself from it.
  • Commit to your actions — your life depends on it.

Information you should provide to BUPD or 911 operator

  • Location of active shooter and victims
  • Number of shooters
  • Physical description of shooter(s)
  • Number of and type of weapon being used
  • Number of potential victims in location

What to do when help arrives

  • Remain calm and follow officer’s instructions.
  • Immediately raise hands and spread fingers.
  • Keep hands visible at all times.
  • Avoid making quick movements toward officers, or holding onto them for safety.
  • Avoid pointing, screaming or yelling.
  • Do not stop to ask officers for help or directions when evacuating — just proceed in the direction from which officers are entering premises.

Please Note: The first officers to arrive on the scene will not stop to help the injured. Expect rescue teams to follow initial officers. These rescue teams will treat and remove the injured.

Once you have reached a safe location, you likely be held in that area by law enforcement until the situation is under control, and all witnesses have been identified and questioned. Do not leave the area until law enforcement authorities have instructed you to do so.

Emergency Numbers

Bloomsburg University Police Department: 570-389-2211

Emergency Line: 911

Emergency Notification System – MyHusky

University Police Contacts