By Olivia Digirolamo
Staff Reporter
Stephanie Trelli is a Public Safety officer at Sacred Heart University.
The goal of Public Safety on campus is to provide a safe and educational working environment for the students, faculty, and staff, who are at Sacred Heart.
“Currently, my additional responsibilities include coordinating educational programs that aim to raise safety awareness and reduce one’s vulnerability from becoming a victim to personal or property crimes,” said Trelli.
Officer Trelli has been working at Sacred Heart for the past eight years. In addition, Trelli has been the Crime Prevention and Community Outreach Officer for the past three years. She is also the Coordinator of Safety and Security Programs.
But before working at Sacred Heart, Trelli was a student at Central Connecticut State University. She majored in Criminology and minored in Psychology.
After doing field studies for her major, including police ride alongs and an internship with the department of corrections, Trelli realized she didn’t want to pursue a career in those specific types of working environments. She then started to take an interest in being part of a University security team.
“College is a time where students learn a substantial amount of educational knowledge while taking on many newfound responsibilities,” said Trelli. “However, in the midst of all of this, students must also develop a sense of safety responsibilities.”
In addition to responding to reported incidents, Public Safety officers also educate and encourage students to be proactive and safe.
“In doing so, we ultimately help them make the best of their educational experience here at SHU, which is incredibly rewarding,” said Trelli.
In 2017, Trelli received the Campus Life Leadership Outstanding Staff Member award. She described this event as her fondest memory at Sacred Heart.
“Words cannot express the gratitude that I felt by all community members that provided me recognition,” said Trelli.
Although Trelli said Sacred Heart is her home away from home, during her free time she enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She also appreciates outdoor cookouts and vacations.
Trelli has been involved in several student events on campus. She was a past judge for SHU Idol and a contestant for Student Government’s Dancing with Heart.
“I think I speak for all of our officers when I say that I am more than excited about our new Public Safety building. The building is designed with state of the art equipment, including a new and improved Dispatch Center, interview rooms, and much more,” said Trelli.
The new Public Safety building is scheduled to open this spring.
“The best advice I can give to the students of SHU, is that no matter how much of your attention is dedicated to your busy time keeping schedules whether that’s to educational studies or extracurricular activities, always plan for safety,” said Trelli. “Unexpected things happen at the most unexpected moments. By planning for safety, recognizing and reporting potentially threatening situations, help us as a community to work on primary prevention interventions that aim to reduce or eliminate harm.”
