Safety and Services

RAD Systems of Self Defense

The University Police Department is committed to the personal safety of the University community. The RAD Systems of Self Defense program covers a wide variety of risk reduction strategies allowing a participant to choose what options fit into their lives. The program is led by a police officer who is also a certified personal safety and self-defense instructor.

What is RAD?

The RAD Systems of Self Defense offers programs for women, children, men and seniors. These offerings provide a truly holistic approach to self-defense education, supporting the necessity of continuous learning in order to provide realistic options for each population as they go through life. Each of these programs includes educational components comprised of lecture, discussion, and physical resistive strategies. 

The RAD Systems of Self Defense courses are built on a foundation of risk awareness, risk reduction, risk avoidance and prevention. Each course has its own instructional objective and physical defense techniques. Each curriculum is specifically designed for women, men or children.

RAD Course Descriptions

RAD Basic Physical Defense: The course is the cornerstone of RAD Systems of Self Defense and is the foundation in education and awareness. The course includes lecture, discussion and self-defense techniques, suitable for women of all ages and abilities. This course covers basic risk avoidance techniques with simple, but effective physical escape techniques. It is NOT a martial arts class with a few helpful tips thrown in, but a well-planned, well-evaluated program designed specifically with women in mind, addressing the specific types of attacks commonly used against women, making the most of the specific strengths available to women. You also get to try out your skills in a safe, controlled environment. Courses range from nine (9) to twelve (12) hours in length, depending on the Instructor.

Certified RAD Instructors

The following University Police Department staff are certified RAD Instructors.

• Cristopher Affinito
• Jennifer Baldwin
• Brandy Barnard 
• Jason Dube
• Steven Grassmann
• John McGuire Jr.
• Edward Meyers
• Benjamin Nagy
• Adam Pasnik

Register for a RAD Course 

For more information on the RAD Systems of Self Defense program, please email a Certified RAD Instructor or [email protected].

From time to time each semester members from UPD set out coffee, and sometimes hot cocoa. This event brings together department members and the community for conversation and fun.

The University Police Department continuously focuses on education, prevention and mitigation efforts in the event of an active shooter incident on campus.

Active Shooter Response

Education: The University Police Department and Community Standards collaborate together on programs to offer to students, faculty and staff. These programs focus on prevention techniques such as what we should be all looking for and who we should tell if we something of concern. If interested in setting up a program, please contact the University Police Department at [email protected] or Community Standards at [email protected].

Prevention: Student CARE Services brings together staff from across the University at Albany to evaluate reports of actions taken by visitors or community members that have raised concern. The group draws upon the expertise of staff from the Provost's Office, Human Resources, Community Standards, the University Counseling Center, the University Police Department and others as appropriate.

The team is focused on identifying and addressing issues before violence occurs. All members of the community are encouraged to contact Student CARE Services with any concerns and complete the Public CARE Report Form.

In an emergency situation, immediately contact the University Police Department at 911 or 518-442-3131 and via an Emergency Phone on campus.

Mitigation: The University Police Department is continuously developing our capability to respond in the event of an active shooter on campus. We developed the first NYS Division of Criminal Justice certified training course in active shooter response. Our police officers have patrol rifles and tactical body armor available to them in their patrol vehicles. Our officers regularly attend training on active shooter response on our campus, in our buildings, and with officers from surrounding state and local departments to support a more coordinated and cooperative response should we experience an active shooter on our campus.

Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE)

The University Police Department has certified instructors to teach the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) program to the community in the event of an active shooter on campus. 

CRASE teaches students, faculty and staff to learn the following:

• "Run, Hide, Fight" steps to take in an active shooter situation
• Situational Awareness – the ability to identify, process and comprehend information to survive in an emergency
• Mental scripting (the process of identifying and considering potentially dangerous scenarios, and working through the best response to them) and how it relates to a crisis
• Looking for warning signs of potentially aggressive behavior
• What to expect when police, EMS and other first responders arrive
• How you can help police and other first responders

To arrange a session, email [email protected] referencing CRASE training. The University Police Department will reach out to set up the training session.

Related Links

"Run, Hide, Fight" Video
480 Seconds Video
Active Shooter: How to Respond
Recognizing, Responding and Reporting Resource Guide

About the Academy
The University Police Department is proud to offer a Citizens Police Academy to our campus community. The purpose of the academy is to create better understanding and communication between the police department and the community through education. The academy runs for eight weeks and is normally held during the Spring and Fall semesters.

The academy is open to a limited number of applicants due to space constraints at our facility. The applicants will be chosen after an initial background screening is conducted. Applications will be accepted from UAlbany students, staff, faculty, City of Albany residents and Town of Guilderland residents.

Each class will consist of several subjects. The courses are designed to move quickly and be informative as well as interesting. Several courses will consist of practical, hands-on training. A ride-a-long with a police officer may also be conducted during the eight-week program, but is not mandatory and will not be on a regularly scheduled course day. The courses tentatively scheduled include, but are not limited to, laws, patrol/vehicle and traffic, crime scene investigations, crime prevention, handcuffing and use of force.

How do I register for the Academy?
To apply to the University Police Department Citizen Police Academy, please complete the Citizen Police Academy Application Form in its entirety prior to submission. The University Police Department will notify you when your application has been accepted. Please contact the University Police Department at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding the academy.

The University Police Department is very actively engaged in community outreach programs, working to promote the safety and security of the campus and surrounding communities. We work closely with the Department of Residential Life and other community groups to provide these programs both on and off-campus. These programs are provided free of charge to interested campus and non-campus groups. In accordance with our mission, we offer the following educational programs:

Fatal Vision
The program uses specially designed goggles to simulate the effect that drug and alcohol intoxication of varying levels has on a person’s balance, coordination, and vision, allowing the participants to realize these effects while sober and rational.

University Police Canine Program
The University Police Department K-9's and their handlers are available to provide demonstrations and information regarding the use of police canines on patrol, bomb detection, drug detection and other issues regarding police canines.

Personal Safety
The program offers advice on how to help make yourself a “bad victim” and tips to decrease the likelihood of becoming a victim of an assault. Basic self-defense options and victim assistance information is covered as well.

Property Safety
The program focuses on ways to prevent the theft of personal property, to limit the likelihood that you will be chosen as a target of theft, and to increase the likelihood that, if the property is taken from you, the police will be able to return recovered property to its rightful owner.

Orientation
The University Police Department provides general safety and security information for all incoming Freshmen, Transfer and International students.

Legal Issues
Legal issue topics vary and can be covered as requested. These presentations are from the point of view of a police agency with a focus on the prevention of offenses through education and the University’s role in promoting a safe environment and assisting victims.

The NYS University Police at Albany currently has one active K-9 unit (K-9 Kolt and K-9 Officer Callahan) with another unit in training, preparing for certification (soon to be K-9 Boomer and K-9 Officer Santa Maria). K-9 Kolt is certified in narcotics detection, tracking, and patrol work. K-9 Boomer is getting certified in explosives detection and tracking work. K-9 training consists of an approximately 6-8 week core discipline program, with additional training for any further specialization.

The University at Albany Police Department has a Police Mountain Bike Patrol Unit. Officers go through a rigorous training program consisting of many miles in the saddle, along with various patrol, public interaction, bike maintenance, and safety techniques. The patrol bikes allow officers to get out of their cars and be more approachable by the community while also allowing them to quickly get to places that aren’t reachable by a patrol car.

The University Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety of our students, faculty and staff while on our campus. If you feel unsafe traveling between destinations on campus, please contact the University Police Department at 518-442-3131 for a safety escort.

For roadside assistance, including car breakdowns, lockouts and dead batteries please contact the University Police Department at 518-442-3131.

The University Police Department is the centralized location for all lost and found items. Students, faculty and staff and visitors should contact us at 518-442-3130 to attempt to locate the lost property.

Anyone claiming lost and found property must show valid identification, such as a UAlbany ID card or valid driver’s license. Any items found should be delivered to or reported to the University Police Department.

If you require key access to a building on campus, please contact the University Police Department at 518-442-3131 and a member of the department will meet you at the specified location.

The Criminal Investigative Unit does just what its name suggests, they investigate the criminal complaints and certain non-criminal complaints that get reported to the department. The CIU partners with victims, making sure they are the priority and educating them on the services available and walking them through the available processes. The CIU works closely with the Advocacy Center for Sexual Violence and the Office of Equity and Compliance. Internally the CIU provides training and updates on techniques and methodologies that members use to build successful cases.