For the first time in at least seven years, local law enforcement tripled the amount of patrol during the weekend in an attempt to combat a string of East neighborhood robberies.

Four robberies occurred in a three-week span, an unusually high number for the start of the school year, said Department of Public Safety Chief Tony Callisto. Callisto said the suspects in each of the robberies were teenagers, adding that high school-aged students from across Onondaga County have entered parties thrown by Syracuse University students.

“If you’re having a party, make sure you know who’s going,” Callisto said.

DPS, the Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department were out in full force on Saturday, issuing open-container violations and ticketing drivers for traffic violations. The heightened efforts will continue for at least the next few weeks.

“What this is all about is student safety,” he said.

Law enforcement reported 28 various infractions made by students, including open container, noise and alcohol violations, Callisto said. Four individuals were charged with providing alcohol to underage drinkers, which Callisto described as “significantly” more than a typical weekend. No incidents of violence were reported on Friday or Saturday.

DPS has issued five public safety alerts since the start of the school year. The most recent alert referred to a Sept. 14 off-campus assault at a Clarendon Street residence shared by an SU student and a State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry student. Three uninvited non students became confrontational and began punching and kicking the students.

Previous incidents this semester included an Aug. 22 robbery at the entrance of Thornden Park, where an SU student was struck by a piece of wood, and a Sept. 9 midday robbery in which a person not affiliated with SU was threatened with a knife by teenage suspects.

Published on September 16, 2012 at 1:59 am