DPS News

Article written by DPS Communication Assistant Ruth Brisson, Newhouse ’29

Spooky season calls for a few extra safety reminders

With Halloween tomorrow, there’s lots of safety to cover! Let’s go over the basics on Football game, Halloween, and Daylight saving safety!

Football Game Safety

As usual, this year’s Halloween falls on a home football game day. While the game promises to be a fun addition to the holiday weekend, there are a few safety reminders worth keeping in mind as you plan your day.

Parking: Odd/Even parking will be in effect for the game. At 6:00 PM on the 31st, drivers should switch their cars over to the odd side of the street. The good news is that since the 31st is an odd-numbered day, cars can remain in the same spot into the 1st, as it will still fall on an odd day!

Crowd Safety: For those attending the game in a group, it’s important to stick together, especially in large crowds. Before heading into the JMA Wireless Dome, agree on a designated meeting spot in case anyone gets separated. Having a plan in place ahead of time makes it much easier to reconnect quickly if the group gets split up.

Bag Policy: The Dome enforces a strict clear bag policy, or alternatively, a small bag policy limited to bags no larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″. There is a one-bag limit per person, so attendees should plan accordingly before arriving, as bags that don’t meet these requirements may not be permitted inside.

Leaving the Game: Once the game concludes, attendees are encouraged to be patient with traffic. Shuttle buses will be running to transport guests to the parking lots efficiently, helping to keep the departure process as smooth as possible despite the large crowds.

Halloween Safety

What to Know Before You Go Out: Halloween brings an increase in foot traffic, crowds, and unfortunately, drivers that may be under the influence, making it especially important for both drivers and pedestrians to stay alert this time of year.

For Drivers: With more pedestrians out and about, particularly at night, drivers should expect increased and often unpredictable foot traffic. Costumes, group gatherings, and the excitement of the holiday can make it harder for pedestrians to stay fully aware of their surroundings, so drivers should slow down, remain alert, and give extra space and attention to areas that are normally quieter.

For Pedestrians: If you’re planning to go out for Halloween, it’s best to stay with a group. Between the darkness and the larger crowds typical of the holiday, having people around you adds an important layer of safety. Costumes can also reduce your visibility to drivers, so before crossing any street, consider using a flashlight or your phone’s light to make sure drivers can see you clearly. Use crosswalks when possible and always wait for walk signs before crossing.

Getting Home Safely: No matter how you plan to celebrate, make sure you have a safe way to get home. Whether that’s using the safety escort shuttle, calling a rideshare, or walking back with your group, having a plan in place ahead of time helps ensure the night ends safely.

Daylight Savings

As if it wasn’t an already busy weekend, as November approaches, daylight saving time is coming to an end. This year, clocks will fall back at 2:00 AM on November 1st, reverting to 1:00 AM at that moment. For most people, this simply means setting clocks back an hour before bed, resulting in a welcome extra hour of sleep.

Devices: While smartphones and computers typically update automatically, it’s worth checking other devices like car clocks and microwaves to make sure they reflect the correct time.

Darker Evenings: The time change also means evenings will get darker earlier. Pedestrians should consider wearing brighter or reflective clothing when walking in the evening, and drivers should stay alert for pedestrians who may be harder to see in reduced daylight.

DPS hopes you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend! Have fun dressing up, watch some scary movies, and as always stay safe.

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.

Article written by DPS Communication Assistant Ruth Brisson, Newhouse ’29

In a few clicks, a whole new world of safety.

The Orange Safe app is the go-to center for all things safety at Syracuse University. You have access to all sorts of features like mobile BlueLight, Safe Walk, Safety Shuttles and more. This app can be a little overwhelming when you’re unsure how to navigate it, so let’s take it step by step.

One of the most used features on the Orange Safe App is the Safety Escort Shuttles. These shuttles operate from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night. Any student can request a shuttle as long as they are coming or going to a University address.. This allows students to not walk alone at night and feel safe and secure getting from place to place. To find this feature in the app, go to the “Getting Around SU” icon, then select “Safety Escort Shuttle.” Once this is opened you can request your shuttle just by typing your NetID, SUID, your current location, and requested location. Keep in mind, certain days of the week are a bit busier, so you may have a longer wait on nights like Thursday through Sunday.

Another important feature is the On Campus BlueLight. When walking around campus, you’ve likely seen our BlueLight stations scattered all over campus. When activated, it will send your direct location to dispatchers so they can send officers to you as quickly as possible. If you’re not near a BlueLight, you can trigger this on your phone instead. The difference between BlueLights and directly calling DPS is that you’re not required to speak or communicate, it does the job for you. However if you can communicate it’s available for you to call or text. The icon is right on the main homescreen of the app in the upper left corner.

Our next feature is Social Escape. This feature gives you the opportunity to leave a social situation where you may feel awkward or unsafe without questions. You go into the app and find the social escape icon on the homescreen, then type in your phone number and select a time to receive a phone call. Once you receive that phone call, you can step away for a moment, and take that opportunity to just leave the situation entirely and take that phone call. Want to see a demo, check out this reel on our Instagram.

Now, one of the fundamental features of the Orange Safe App is the Emergency Contacts at the top of the main homescreen. If you are in an emergency, click this icon and you’ll be directed to select one of three options. The first is to Call 911, it’s best to call 911 if you are in a situation off campus and need the city police department. The second option is to Call DPS, this option is for any situation here on campus. If you call 911 when on campus, you’ll be transferred to DPS dispatch and vice versa. And the third option is to Chat with DPS, this is when you’re in a situation where you’re unable to speak and need immediate help so you can text with dispatchers instead.

The last feature we’ll go over is Report a Tip. Ever hear the phrase, “If you see something, say something?”  Whenever you see something on campus that you feel could be dangerous or criminal in activity, go into the app and select the “Report a Tip” icon, then let our DPS officers know what’s going on. It can be hard to decide what is or isn’t something worth reporting, but trust your instincts and simply report it. You could be the person to stop a crime.

There’s so much to navigate in the Orange Safe App and we hope this guide could make it a little easier. For more information about the app and other resources, visit the DPS website here.

Officer Johnathon Wazen’s anxiety was through the roof. It was August, he’d stepped onto the mat for his second martial arts tournament of the year, and he’d set himself a goal he had no intention of walking back from: first place. “I had set a goal for myself to come in first, and I was determined not to let the nerves get in the way,” he said. By the end of the day, he’d done it, taking first in one division and second in another, just months after placing third in his very first tournament back in January.

It’s not the first time Wazen has had to push through pressure to get somewhere he set his mind on. He grew up the son of a Syracuse-area officer, in a household he describes as strict, and he’s candid that he wasn’t always the easiest kid to raise. It wasn’t until after high school that law enforcement started to feel less like his father’s path and more like his own. And it wasn’t just his father’s footsteps he was following. His grandfather had worn the badge too, making Wazen the third generation in his family to go into the field.

Today, what keeps him motivated isn’t the family history so much as what the job lets him do with it. “Being able to serve the community I call home and have a meaningful impact on the lives of others is what makes this career so rewarding to me,” he said. That’s not a small detail for Wazen. He grew up in the Syracuse area, which means the students, faculty, staff, and visitors he protects on campus aren’t an abstraction to him. They’re his community, the one he was raised in.

Since graduating from the academy, Wazen says the job has taught him that no two days, and no two calls, ever look the same. A typical shift starts with roll call, where his sergeant passes along updates before the team heads out, but what happens after that is never predictable. What’s stayed consistent, he says, is what makes the job worth it: the moments where he’s able to help someone through a genuinely difficult time. “Those moments are the ones that continue to motivate me and remind me why I chose this career in the first place,” he said.

That same ability to stay level under pressure is what Wazen credits martial arts with sharpening. What started as a casual interest in combat sports turned into serious competition, and the lessons didn’t stay on the mat. “One of the biggest things martial arts has taught me that carries over into my work as an officer is knowing my own abilities and understanding what I’m capable of,” he said. On a call, that self-knowledge translates directly: a clearer head, steadier composure, and the confidence that comes from having already tested himself under pressure, on his own terms, before the job ever asked him to.

Wazen doesn’t romanticize the badge, but he’s clear-eyed about what it actually offers someone willing to take it seriously. “You are more than just a law enforcement officer,” he said, of what he’d tell anyone considering the field. “You become a mentor, a resource, and someone students can turn to when they need guidance.” It’s that part of the job, the relationships built along the way, with students and with the coworkers who’ve supported him, that he says has made his time at DPS meaningful. Three generations in, it turns out the family legacy was never really about the badge itself. It was about what you choose to do once you’re wearing it.