LUPD commemorates National Police Week

Members of the university community gathered in mid-May to commemorate National Police Week, and honored the individuals on campus for exemplary service this past year.

Chief Ed Shupp, who has led the Lehigh University Police Department for the past 15 years, noted the efforts of his fully accredited, 40-member force, as well as others who are contributing to a safer campus environment. Among those were Interim President Kevin Clayton ’84, ’13P, university administrators and the Board of Trustees, who have supported the recent expansion of his force and several additions and enhancements to public safety.

Shupp also noted the success of Lehigh’s community policing initiative, which was launched four years ago. The program continues to serve as an important connection for the one third of the Lehigh students who live in South Bethlehem.

“Being a good partner with the Bethlehem Police Department is also critical in this process, and I want to recognize the value of that ongoing and effective partnership,” Shupp said. “Our joint patrols have been effective in reducing crime. This past winter and spring breaks showed some of these positive results, with zero burglaries in off-campus student residences.”

Additionally, programs like the popular “Shop With a Cop” event every holiday season keep the officers engaged with the community and bring local residents into a productive partnership. Not only does this engagement help keep neighborhoods safe, he said, but they help to have young children see LUPD officers not as adversaries, but as allies.

“Through our interactions with the campus community and the Bethlehem community beyond it,” he said, “we recognize the strong role we can play in promoting safety and in building a stronger, better community.  And with that role comes great responsibility to act with honor, with dedication and with respect. Police officers must obey the law while enforcing the law, and we can accept nothing short of exemplary behavior on the part of each and every member of our police force.”

Shupp concluded his remarks by asking those in attendance for a moment of silence and thoughtful remembrance of officers slain in the line of duty.

'A difficult, demanding, and often thankless job'

Clayton thanked Shupp and his department for a what he described as a difficult, demanding and often thankless job.

“Any effective organization needs strong leadership at the top,” Clayton said. “For the past 15 years, the LUPD has had that in spades in the person of Chief Ed Shupp.”

Clayton noted the consistent decline on campus crime – a 32 percent reduction – over the past five years, as well as the goodwill generated by a number of the LUPD’s community outreach programs, which include work with Broughal Middle School students, local families and businesses, as well as the Lehigh students who live in South Side neighborhoods.

When Clayton spoke to parents of first-year students at the start of the 2014-15 academic year, he assured them that nothing was more important than the safety and well-being of Lehigh students.

“I pledged to them that we would do everything in our power to keep their sons and daughters safe,” he said. “I was able to make that pledge in full confidence, in large part because of the work our police officers do on a daily basis.”

On behalf of his fellow senior officers, the Lehigh staff and faculty, and especially students and their families, Clayton said, “I thank you for a job, very well done.”

During the ceremony, Shupp also presented awards to the following individuals:

Officer of the Year
David Kokinda

Staff Member of the Year
Edmond Lamontagne

Civilian Commendation
Zachary Cahn ‘15
Mary Rose Heller, Wells Fargo Bank
Michelle Sanabria ‘15

Letter of Commendation
Officer Patrick McLaughlin
Officer Robert Hriczko . 
Officer Kendall Alston
Officer C.R Stokes
Officer Scott Ednie
Officer Kevin O’Hay
Officer Greg Nolf
Officer Matt Hyman
Officer David Kokinda
Officer David Bassett
Officer Paul Bringenberg
Dispatcher Pam Hardy

Photos by Christa Neu

To see more photos go to Lehigh University Scenes from South Mountain