WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Sept. 21, 2016 — West Liberty University has selected Joseph Montemurro as its new Chief of Police and first-ever Director of Public Safety.

Chief Joseph L. Montemurro

The new position incorporates the duties of police chief with an expansive role of public safety that includes administrative functions such as emergency planning, training oversight for officers and the campus community, liaison duties with state, federal and local agencies and community partnerships.

Montemurro began his position on Sept 12.

“Safety issues have never been more important to colleges and universities than they are now. I will work hard to continue the excellent safety record already enjoyed by the University and to build in the area of planning and public safety,” said Chief Montemurro. “The security of our students remains a top concern of West Liberty University and its campus police.”

A Pittsburgh native, he most recently served as a senior officer for district operations in the Raleigh Police Department, N.C., where he served for nearly 11 years.

Prior to that Montemurro was a police officer in Aleppo Township in Allegheny County for 17 years.

The WLU Campus Police is dedicated to providing excellence in service to the campus community and provides 24-hour-a-day patrol of the grounds, parking lots, residence halls, academic buildings and faculty housing area. Montemurro’s office is located in Shaw Hall. The police can be reached at 304-336-8021.

Montemurro and his wife Ashley have one daughter Olivia, 5, who attends West Liberty Elementary School.

“We are excited to have Chief Montemurro join the West Liberty University team and we welcome his family to our area,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Diana Harto, who supervises Montemurro.

West Liberty University is a forward-looking, four-year public university steeped in a rich heritage as West Virginia’s oldest institution of higher education. Five colleges and a School of Professional Studies offer nearly 70 undergraduate majors and 30 programs. Graduate programs include the Master of Arts in Education, the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, the Master of Professional Studies, the Master of Science in Criminology and the online MBA degrees. For more information on WLU, please call 1.866.WESTLIB or visit westliberty.edu.

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