Officer Matt Zingaro is DPS’s Evidence Custodian, a role that required completing a three-week school in photography, evidence collection, analysis, and secure handling before he could carry the title. It’s detailed, exacting work, the kind where a mishandled item can mean the difference between a case that holds up and one that doesn’t. Zingaro brings something extra to that work: three decades of outside fire service experience with the Solvay Fire Department, a milestone he’ll mark this October on the thirtieth anniversary of the day he first signed on.
The two roles turn out to inform each other more than you’d expect. “Securing or analyzing evidence on a fire scene is a major part of fire investigations,” Zingaro said, “so yes, my duties securing evidence for DPS has helped me immensely over the years, especially when collecting fire evidence.” The training built for campus casework carries over directly, and he also works part time for emergency management as a fire investigator, a role that draws on that same skill set.
The stakes of getting evidence handling right don’t change based on where the evidence came from. “You never know what type of evidence you could be asked to secure,” Zingaro said. “Handling it safely and within recommended practices not only keeps ETs safe, but also secures the integrity of the items so that it can be used later in court testimony, ultimately securing a conviction.” Whether it’s a fire scene or a campus incident, the discipline is the same, and it’s that discipline, not the specific setting, that makes evidence usable later.
That overlap works both ways. Zingaro’s years with the Solvay Fire Department have given him a front-row seat to what fire investigators look for after an incident, insight he brings back to his evidence work on campus.
It’s a conversation Zingaro has had many times, and after three decades on the job, he has a short list of what he wishes people paid closer attention to at home. Electrical issues top it. “Never ignore signs of unsafe conditions, especially with electrical appliances or lithium-ion battery powered devices,” he said. If an appliance or battery is acting up, unplug it and have it serviced by a professional rather than waiting it out. The same goes for a circuit breaker that trips repeatedly, a sign of overcurrent that could lead to electrical failure. “Have a licensed professional take a look,” he said, “to prevent a fire in your home or office.”
Asked what keeps him doing it, Zingaro doesn’t overthink the answer. “It is a calling,” he said, “a way to give back to the community I love.” Three decades in, that’s still the whole explanation.