SUNY Recognizes Carey for Lifetime Achievement, Other Members of UPD for Professional Police Service

The State University of New York (SUNY) has recognized Buffalo State College’s University Police Department for significant accomplishments and highly professional police service. Most notably, Police Chief Peter M. Carey received the SUNY University Police Chiefs Association Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020.

Other members of the department received the SUNY University Police Chiefs Association Life Saving Award, the SUNY University Police Chiefs Association Professional Service Award, the Platt and Malcolm “Bud” Harris Scholarship and Student Personal Safety Achievement Award, and the COVID-19 Service Award.

Carey and his department were officially recognized during a virtual awards ceremony on January 19.  

“We are immensely proud of Chief Carey and recognize what an asset he is to Buffalo State,” said Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner. “Considering the challenges we have faced over the past year amid the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Carey’s steady leadership has been especially admirable.”

Specifically, Carey served as the incident commander for the college’s COVID-19 planning and response team. He also provided exceptional leadership and training for the department for the campus’s social and criminal justice reform movement, she noted.

Carey began his service to UPD in 1978 when he was a student assistant. He joined the ranks as an officer in 1980 and was subsequently promoted to investigator, lieutenant, and assistant chief before accepting the position of chief in November 2007. For more than 14 years, he also served as an adjunct instructor in the college’s Criminal Justice Department.

In addition to earning his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Buffalo State, Carey received a juris doctor from the University at Buffalo Law School in 2001 and operates a private law practice.

During his tenure at Buffalo State, Carey has spearheaded progressive initiatives, including creating the University Police Department Bike Patrol and coauthoring the Community Oriented Policing Philosophy.

In 2012, he oversaw the collection of data and dissemination of crime statistics on the college’s website in accordance with the Clery Act, which earned the department accreditation from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

“The students, faculty, and staff at Buffalo State are in good hands with Chief Carey at the helm,” Conway-Turner said. “There is no question he is a worthy recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Over the years, Carey has earned more than 15 awards, including the United Students Government (USG) Instructor of the Year Award, the Buffalo State Outstanding Criminal Justice Alumni Award, and the USG Hall of Fame Award. In 2017, he was named Campus Safety Director of the Year by Campus Safety magazine.

He also earned the New York State University Police SUNY Police Chiefs Association Professionalism Award four times. Notably, he received the prestigious Heroism Award from the New York State University Police SUNY Police Chiefs Association and the 100 Club of Buffalo for evacuating students after a residence hall arson fire and explosion and for command of the emergency response that led to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

University Police members also received the following awards on January 19:

• The SUNY University Police Chiefs Association Life Saving Award to Lieutenant Michael W. Myers and Officer Edward A. Helling for performing CPR on an unresponsive campus maintenance worker in October 2019.
• The Professional Award to Lieutenants Michael W. Myers and Richard F. Myers, Investigator Steven W. Cahoon, and Officer Anthony P. Olszewski for working together to solve a crime in fall 2019.
• SUNY Police Chiefs Association Platt and Malcolm “Bud” Harris Scholarship and Student Personal Safety Achievement Award to Joel D. Okine, UPD student assistant coordinator. Okine, a mechanical engineering major, started with the program in spring 2018 and was promoted to UPSA coordinator, the highest level that students in the program can achieve.
• The COVID-19 Service Bar was awarded to the entire University Police Department for its dedication and professional service during the COVID-19 pandemic.