New Syracuse, NY, Public Safety Building Named for Fallen Firefighter, Police Officer
syracuse.com
(TNS)
Syracuse, N.Y. - Family members of a fallen Syracuse police officer and firefighter gathered at the city’s new Public Safety Building for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.
Around 100 people gathered at the building at 1153 W. Fayette St., which was named for officer Michael Jensen and firefighter Ethan Cunningham.
Jensen was fatally shot in April 2024 in Salina in an ambush that also took the life of Onondaga County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Hoosock.
Cunningham died of a cardiac event in February 2017 hours after responding to an emergency call and participating in a strenuous hose drill. His death was recognized as an official City of Syracuse Line of Duty Death in February.
On Tuesday, onlookers clapped and cheered as family members of both men used a giant pair of scissors to snip a yellow ribbon that was tied between two police and fire vehicles.
Mayor Sharon Owens told the crowd that the new building is a fitting location for what she said are “the best two public safety organizations in the state.”
She said she remembered the building being used for several other purposes in the past, including as a training center for the city’s schools and as a headquarters for PEACE Inc., a local not-for-profit.
“Here we are, decades forward, using it again for a very special public purpose,” Owens said.
Syracuse police chief Mark Rusin acknowledged the “countless hours” spent by city staff that went into renovating and moving into the new building.
But Rusin said the most important part of the day for him was paying homage to Jensen and Cunningham.
“These folks gave their lives in the line of duty, and I’m sure it’s a very difficult day for the families,” Rusin said. “They were great people.”
The new building is about 1.5 miles west of the departments’ old offices at the John C. Dillon Public Safety Building at 511 S. State St. The Syracuse Police Department and the Syracuse Fire Department had been there since the 1960s before the move.
The building is six floors, with the top floor acting as the fire department’s headquarters while the other five floors house the police.
The fire department completed its move to the building in March, while police are still finishing settling into the new headquarters.
The front desk’s primary hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., though the building will be accessible to the public 24 hours a day. There is a public parking lot on the west side of the building where the entrance is located.
The front desk serves as a primary point of contact for services for walk-in visitors. The records division will handle requests for reports, documentation and other essential services.
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