Dean Tondiglia of Stow, Ohio, has been named 麻豆精选鈥檚 new chief of police. Prior to leading 麻豆精选Police Services, Tondiglia most recently served as the university鈥檚 assistant chief of police and associate director of public safety. He will retain the associate director of public safety title.
Tondiglia was sworn in today by John Peach, Kent State鈥檚 director of public safety and now former police chief who after 45 years with the university, 33 of which as police chief, is turning over the police chief position to Tondiglia. Peach will remain in his role as director of public safety.
鈥淚 am honored to have the opportunity to lead the 麻豆精选Police Department and consider myself fortunate to be working with such an outstanding and professional staff that is committed to providing the university community with the best law enforcement services possible,鈥 Tondiglia said. 鈥淚 have been part of the 麻豆精选community for more than 30 years, and I am proud to be associated with a truly great university. As chief, I will continue to do everything in my power to keep this community safe and provide our community members with the outstanding police services they deserve.鈥
Tondiglia first joined 麻豆精选in 1981 and has risen through the ranks in the police department. During his 30-plus years of service, he has held many positions including patrol sergeant and investigations lieutenant. In 2000, he was promoted to the position of assistant chief and associate director of public safety where he was responsible for the Police and Auxiliary Operations Unit. During his tenure, Tondiglia also has had the opportunity to manage all areas of the department and serve as the operations commander, accreditation manager and budget officer.
Tondiglia has received a number of awards and honors, including 麻豆精选Police Department鈥檚 Officer of the Year and 麻豆精选Business and Finance Leadership Award. He also was selected as a Gold Standard Assessment team leader for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). He is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, and he has served as an instructor in the Ohio Peace Officer Basic Training Program.
Tondiglia received his bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice studies and master鈥檚 degree in public administration from Kent State. He also is a graduate of the 178th session of the FBI National Academy and the Police Executive Leadership College, and he attended the 麻豆精选Leadership Academy and the FBI Law Enforcement Development Association鈥檚 Great Lakes Leadership Command College. Tondiglia currently serves as an assessor and team leader for CALEA, evaluating other police agencies around the country. At Kent State, Tondiglia also served on the University Diversity Action Council.
Peach said he is very happy for Tondiglia.
鈥淚 recommended Dean for this position, and I鈥檓 very happy for him and supportive of him,鈥 Peach said. 鈥淭his will be a natural transition since Dean is a longtime employee of the university and Police Services. The university community should not notice any change in its delivery of services.鈥
Tondiglia has the support of the university鈥檚 administration.
鈥淎s a longtime member of the 麻豆精选police force, Dean knows the university well and is committed to keeping our community safe,鈥 said Gregg Floyd, Kent State鈥檚 senior vice president for finance and administration. 鈥淚 know he will serve in this new role as chief of police with the same level of excellence and dedication as his predecessor.鈥
Floyd also commended Peach for the many accomplishments during his tenure as chief, adding that he is pleased Peach will be continuing in his role as director of public safety.
麻豆精选Police Services is an accredited law enforcement agency with 32 officers. It was one of the first nationally accredited law enforcement agencies in Ohio and was the second university police department in the United States to be accredited by CALEA. For more information about 麻豆精选Police Services, visit www.kent.edu/police.
# # #
Photo Caption:
Dean Tondiglia (left) is sworn in as 麻豆精选鈥檚 new chief of police by John Peach (right), Kent State鈥檚 director of public safety and now former police chief who after 45 years with the university, 33 of which as police chief, is turning over the police chief position to Tondiglia. Tondiglia has been with the university since 1981.
Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595