Increased security measures at the Carrier Dome and in the areas surrounding the Syracuse University campus were put into effect for the first time this past weekend.

In response to a stabbing at Orange Madness in the Carrier Dome on Oct. 12, policy changes at the Carrier Dome announced Thursday also went into effect this weekend.

From now on, all Dome events, including future Orange Madness events, will require assigned seat tickets and Dome management will handle the sale and distribution of all event tickets.

As discussed on Thursday, additional security measures were implemented at the Dome on Friday night for the SU football game against the University of Connecticut, said Department of Public Safety Capt. John Sardino.

Metal detectors were used at the game, but security did not find “anything they didn’t expect,” Sardino said.

The metal detectors slowed down entry a little and at some points there was a 10- to 12-minute delay to get into the Dome, Sardino said.

“The fans were great about it,” he said. “A couple even said they appreciated us caring about their safety.”

There was also an increased police presence, as eight to 10 additional officers were needed due to use of metal detectors, Sardino said.

The use of metal detectors at the Dome is decided on a case-by-case basis by Dome management, but Sardino said he expects them to continue to be used for “quite a while.”

In response to an increase in crime near campus, DPS announced Thursday a new partnership with the Syracuse Police Department as well as policy changes at the Dome.

DPS and SPD officers will patrol the East neighborhood and Marshall Street area together on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights as part of the newly created University Area Crime-Control Team. Each patrol will include one DPS officer and one SPD officer per vehicle.

Additionally, a DPS communications officer will work exclusively on monitoring security cameras during the UACT patrols and DPS will expand its off-campus Orange Watch patrols.

The new partnership between DPS and SPD is still in the planning stages, Sardino said, and has not yet taken effect.

“We agreed to it in principle and are currently working out the policies and procedures of DPS and SPD working together,” he said.

Sardino said the current task force, consisting of DPS, SPD and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department, will continue patrolling the areas surrounding campus for the next two weekends, with the new crime-control team taking effect as early as next Thursday

There was less crime this weekend because of the work the task force has done in these neighborhoods, Sardino said.

Published on October 22, 2012 at 3:01 am

Contact Jessica: jliannet@syr.edu | @JessicaIannetta