New Chief Will Oversee Change to Lewis Police

Newly appointed Chief of Police James Montanari will be leading ’s transition from using Campus Security to the Lewis University Police Department.

The transition will make the department a “blended model” of professional security staff and police officers who will continue to uphold the department’s “general model and philosophy that has already been established” in mind, explained Montanari.

He said it's important for the Lewis police department to embrace certain Campus Security functions, including unlocking buildings, responding to requests for assistance, motorist assists and staffing special events.

"The organizational structure and the security function will remain (the same) within the police department," Montanari said.

The question many students have about the change is how it will directly affect them. Lewis commuter Carlo Calma wondered how having police on campus will affect the way parking fines and traffic violations are enforced.

"Speed limits and crosswalk regulations, for example, I feel, aren't that heavily enforced on campus, so I feel like that's one area students will have to pay closer attention to," Calma said.

Despite that concern, Calma does feel like the addition will create a better sense of security on campus.

"I know that Lewis may be a small, gated community, (but there is always) room for improvement, especially when it concerns the security of the faculty, staff and students on campus,” he said.

Montanari is well aware of the questions being raised by many Lewis students.

“The student judicial process that is in place at the university spells out behavior standards (and) holds people accountable," he said. "There is an established disciplinary process that is already in place and my role is not to come in and just change that or go in a different direction. So, (in) anything I do, that’s the lead, that’s the direction the process takes and our primary focus is education and individual development.”

Montanari describes his role is to “lead a transition, create a cohesive team, further professionalize our team and implement best practices.”

He explained that the transition will involve embracing opportunities for educational programming in the form of presentations.

“We (also) want to look at ... how phone calls get answered and how we dispatch the call," Montanari said. " ... We’d like to turn that duty over to the employees and improve our system and the way we have that coordinated.” Calls to security are currently answered by students.

Montanari said Lewis police will also get involved with student groups to provide positive interaction so the Lewis community doesn’t feel like security is only around when there is a negative situation.

“There needs to be a level of familiarity and trust,” Montanari said. “You want people to have confidence in security.”

That's why he made connecting with people from all areas of campus life a priority in his first weeks at Lewis, he explained.

“I went on ride-alongs with the current employees in security," Montanari said. "I went with them on their rounds,” he added, saying he spent time with staff as they completed their routines, such as fielding lockout calls from students and closing down campus at the end of the day.

“That’s how you meet people, and it was a lot of fun,” he said.

Vice President for Business and Facilities Robert DeRose, one of the Lewis staff members who interviewed Montanari for the position, said Montanari's experience as a night watch commander with the and his experience working with students make him a good match for the job.   

"Jim also brings a vast amount of knowledge in writing policies and procedures that we will need for our new department," DeRose said. "He endorses and is ready to lead a sworn presence on campus with a community policing style."

Montanari described the development of the police department as “a great opportunity for the university to build an excellent agency and for me to personally develop new skills and apply skills I learned in the past.”

Other additions to the Lewis University Police Department include Deputy Chief of Police Michael Zegadlo, a Lewis alum.