In the dead of night, Director of Public Safety Scott Law patrols campus in a gray public safety vehicle. All of a sudden, the quiet of 24th Street at midnight is broken by an incoming radio call alerting Law to a potential medical emergency in Stalnaker Hall. 

In the minutes before the radio call, an RA altered a public safety dispatcher that there was a young man in the restroom who was breathing but unresponsive. Officers were dispatched, and Law waited until the all clear was given. In the end, no ambulance was called to the scene, and the young man was returned safely to his room. 

“It happens more often than you expect where someone just needs a little help getting back to their room,” Law said. “Our main goal is not to get students in trouble, just make sure they are okay at the end of the night.” 

This is what a night looks like for Law, who allowed The Times-Delphic to accompany him on April 25th 2025. During Drake Relays public safety does extra patrols and Law himself even sleeps in his office some nights, although he said that was happening less and less now that Peggy’s is closing earlier. With all the extra people on campus and all the extra parties, Law just wants to make sure everyone is safe.

Students are aware of the extra security measures and Lauren Kloss, a sophomore environmental science major, feels safer with these extra precautions. Kloss saw not just public safety, but also the Des Moines police department spread out around campus at least once a day during Drake Relays. The extra security and dorm hall regulations, allow Kloss to enjoy Relays without worry. 

“It’s better to be more protective than less,” Kloss said. 

Law trusts his officers and supervisors to handle the calls first. He said all of his supervisors “have a good number of years of experience” and can handle the situation or make the call to bring him in. He also doesn’t want to overwhelm or embarrass students by bringing too many people to the scene. Law will get involved if an unresponsive call continues to escalate or more serious calls, such as weapons calls or calls involving serious drugs. 

For example, when a call came in from Crawford Hall that a girl was worried that her last drink had been drugged, Law didn’t attend to her himself, instead having to do a walkthrough of Morehouse Hall, but once finished he double-checked that the all clear indicating the girl was safe went out while he was inside.  

Law is relieved that these “I’ve had too many drinks” calls are coming, pointing out that Drake’s medical amnesty rule states that if a student comes to public safety for help, they won’t get in trouble, but will be offered assistance. 

Kloss finds it easy to reach public safety. She has their number saved in her phone and can genuinely find one on campus since there is one on duty 24/7. Public safety is also prompt, having responded to her friend’s request for help in a timely manner. 

“They park in the same areas, so if someone really needs to find them, for some reason and doesn’t have their phone, they would have a pretty good idea of where you can find someone,” Kloss said. “The emergency stations throughout campus are also really helpful.” 

Public Safety doesn’t just rely on calls to provide that help. Patrols like the one Law is currently on allow him and other officers to offer rides home to students walking alone, make sure students get to their cars safely, and just act as a “visible deterrent.” Law also routinely checked on students lying on the ground throughout the night, asking groups of students if they were okay. 

“The one time you don’t ask is the one time that person needs help,” Law said. 

Overall, though, the night was fairly quiet, – a lot quieter than Relays past. Law circled the boundaries of Drake, pointing out all the spots that used to be party central back in his early days at Drake. 

“I just think the students now are smarter about how they party,” Law said. 

For the rest of the night, Scott Law carefully looked out his front window, taking note of every oddity or student walking by. He made sure everybody was walking in groups and no parties got out of hand. For all intents and purposes, it was an entirely routine night.

“This is the glorious part of police work: driving around for hours,” Law said. “That’s why I always say to students, if you need help, call us, otherwise, we are just driving around for hours.”