Courtney Spence
Staff Writer
ESU has welcomed a new chief of police Edward J. Iandoli Jr.
Chief Iandoli has been a seasoned law enforcement professional for over 30 years with commitment to public safety, community and engagement. He was initially apart of Bangor Area School District, where he oversaw public safety and was involved with the community.
During an in-person interview, Iandoli was asked a few questions:
What brought you to a college level coming from a high school level?
“I retired from the N.J. Transit, it was a large organization, and I loved serving the Bangor Community and had a great relationship with all the kids. It felt I needed more of a challenge, and I saw the position here at ESU being offered and ‘threw my hat in the ring’ and I am so excited to be here.”
Prior to this role, Iandoli worked for the N.J. Transit, a large organization in which he took a leadership role.
Are there any changes you would like to implement in your new position?
“It’s only my second week, I’m learning a lot about university police it’s a little different from the school district police, but similar of what I faced in New Jersey’s big organization. Kind of what the campus is like dealing with all different types of business lines through the campus, a lot of changes. Some of my early areas I’m still exploring include, enhancing late night safety resources, escort services and increased visibility on campus. I want to host regular forms of town halls with students to get their concerns. Create more opportunities for a positive non-enforcement engagement between officers and students, and in increasing transparency through accessible, reporting and community.”
What are you planning to bring to the ESU community?
“I want to make sure our police officers are serving the ESU community to the fullest. Providing those resources, I want students to be able to come to the police officers if they need somebody to talk to, which is very important, especially today’s day and age with everything going on and social media has taken off. A lot of the time the freshman students, it’s their first time they’re on their own by themselves, it’s an experience.”
Looking back, what were some adjustments you noticed going from the N.J. Transit to ESU?
“The one thing I can’t express enough, going from the New Jersey Transit was a large organization. Our commuters were our customers and it’s hard to develop a relationship with those customers because they are going from work, to work. They’re going to entertainment venue or something. Coming into the school district I got to know the students and be a part of that community and making those relationships. Looking back, I was very fortunate to have that position. It was a good lesson of how you can relate to the community and be a part of the community. During those Friday night football games at the park seeing everybody and you know everybody, and everybody knows your name and that’s what I want here because I want everyone to be able to come to me and be available.”
The ESU community wishes Chief Iandoli continued success as he transitions into a college level experience. For further information regarding university police visit https://www.esu.edu/university_police/index.cfm.