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Since J-Michael Shoes opened its doors in 1983, founder and current co-owner John Vavalo said he has seen the evolution of Syracuse University and the city police’s place on Marshall Street.

“I’d say 15 or 20 years ago, on Friday nights — Friday and Saturday and weekends, they had mounted police here. They’d close the street off,” Vavalo said. “I remember when the drinking age was 18, and people were out drinking at 16 … it was a mess.”

In his 41 years at 173 Marshall Street, Vavalo said he has noticed an ongoing “collaboration” between the Department of Public Safety and the Syracuse Police Department to monitor the commercial area adjacent to the university. The latest iteration of DPS’ presence on the street is a tight office filled with computers where an NBT Bank previously stood.

In late February, DPS added its name and logo to the windows of 737 S. Crouse Ave., a building on the corner of Marshall Street. A DPS spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Orange that the space would be an upcoming “substation” — a smaller, secondary office for the department. The project is in its design and implementation stages, the spokesperson wrote.

SU began the process of establishing the new office in January. At the time, DPS said they hoped the office would increase DPS’ “visibility and engagement” in the area. In July 2023, SU announced that it purchased the property for the new office. The acquisition was part of SU’s broader Campus Framework — its 20-year plan to improve infrastructure on and around campus.

The university has made further progress on the framework throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. In Nov. 2023, SU announced it would completely convert the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center into housing for second-year students. In Dec. 2023, it also confirmed plans to do the same to 727 S. Crouse Ave., formerly known as The Marshall.

“With the Sheraton Hotel and 727 Crouse being converted into student housing, it is vital that DPS increases its footprint in the area to provide a visible presence to serve our students, faculty and staff,” the DPS spokesperson wrote.

Vavalo said he had known about the new DPS satellite office prior to its appearance on the corner but several other local merchants said they were not familiar with the new project. Stan Chen, the owner and manager of Taste of Asia, said he only learned of the substation through a DPS officer who patrols the street.

Chen said Marshall Street has experienced an increase in disruptive behavior over his ten years working in the area. He said the increasing popularity of food delivery apps, such as DoorDash and Grubhub, has negatively impacted the area’s traffic.

When Chen notices incidents on the street, whether it be drunk students or a car blocking the road, he doesn’t call SPD, citing slow response times. He hopes the new office will decrease the amount of crime in the area.

“DPS right now will act just like a local police department,” Chen said. “This way, people (are) deterred from doing this and actually follow rules.”

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DPS’s jurisdiction extends to SU properties located on Marshall Street, such as Huntington Hall, but does not cover any of the street’s independently owned businesses. The DPS spokesperson did not state whether its jurisdiction on Marshall Street would change with the new office but said the new substation intends to establish a presence at one of the “highest traffic areas surrounding campus.”

DPS can assist other law enforcement agencies requesting assistance within Onondaga County and is authorized to make arrests if they witness a felony outside of its jurisdiction, according to its website. Matthew Malinowski, SPD’s public information officer, wrote in a statement to The D.O. that the department was not involved with the satellite office project.

One store owner, who requested not to be named, said he was not aware of the department’s plans to establish a location on Marshall Street until he saw their logo on the side of the building. He believes it would be a great way to increase feelings of security on the street.

The site is not yet open and operational. When the location is complete, DPS plans to hold a community open house to tour and learn more about the space, the spokesperson wrote. The department will make a formal announcement detailing when the office will open and its hours of operation in “the coming weeks.”

While Vavalo said J-Michael hasn’t had many issues with crime during its decades-long stay, he believes the office will “keep everyone safe.”

“We do have a cop walking the beat anyways, but it’s good to have (DPS) here, especially at night,” Vavalo said. “It’ll be good to have a little law and order around here.”

Published on March 6, 2024 at 12:35 am

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu