News

Dr. Gary J. Margolis, Chief of Police at the University of Vermont, has announced he is leaving his position to join the faculty in order to teach and develop a new nationally focused research initiative with Steven Healy within the UVM College of Education & Social Services geared towards campus safety and security. The initiative aims to become the premiere national resource in leading, promoting and supporting research-based efforts to enhance the safety and security of colleges and universities and their surrounding communities. If successful, it would be funded by a combination of training and educational program revenue, and federal grants.

Margolis is credited with improving the department’s professionalism and standing in the law enforcement community. During his tenure as chief of police, UVM Police Services earned international accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, and evolved to address the growing demands of the expanding university community.

“Gary’s leadership has had a significant impact on the shared campus safety dialog at the university, and enhanced the professionalism of our Department of Police Services. His national leadership in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, and his contributions to national campus safety practices have reflected well on the University of Vermont,” said Senior Vice President and Provost John M. Hughes. “I wish him well in his pursuit of this new academic endeavor.”

Margolis said, “I am incredibly fortunate to have led the Department of Police Services and to have worked with a talented, passionate and committed group of public safety professionals. I came to UVM as a student and it has been a place that afforded me wonderful opportunities to grow and learn; this transition is no exception.  My decision to leave Police Services and assume a role in the faculty is the natural extension of my lifelong commitment to education and public safety. I hope to continue to be of value to the university, and other institutions of higher education in addressing their safety and security challenges.”

Margolis is a leader internationally in the field of law enforcement. He is currently a Commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).  CALEA accredits police departments, communication centers, and training academies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He is a Past General Chair of the University & College Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the oldest and largest police association in the world, and a former member of the association’s executive committee.  He is an active member of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) where he has served on the Government Affairs Committee and Chaired the Education Committee.  Through IACLEA, he has been heavily involved in developing federal campus safety legislation and furthering the national agenda for safety at our nation’s universities and colleges. He is often called upon by the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Homeland Security as a campus security expert. Shortly after the 9/11 tragedies, he was appointed by Vermont Gov. James Douglas to serve on the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisory Committee.  He serves as a Director for the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Margolis is a graduate of the Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government Executive Education Program on leading through crisis, and in early 2008, traveled to Israel as an invited guest of the Israeli Government and Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) to study terrorism and share his expertise with the Israel National Police and Israel Defense Forces.  His work has been featured in Police Chief magazine and the Campus Law Enforcement Journal magazine.

Margolis and his business partner, Steven J. Healy, will continue to develop their professional services firm in service to universities and colleges across the country.

Margolis will be succeeded as Chief of Police by Lianne M. Tuomey.  Tuomey is currently the department’s second in command, and comes to the role with 27 years of combined experience between the Burlington Police Department and UVM Police Services.

The University of Vermont Department of Police Services consists of some 40 professionally trained personnel, sworn and non-sworn, who patrol the campus 24 hours a day to protect the rights, safety and security of members of the University community.

MH&A has been retained by Berkeley College to conduct a safety and security vulnerability assessment for several of its campuses in New Jersey and New York City.

Managing Partner Healy was recently interviewed for an article regarding on-going challenges with emergency notification implementation.

Steven J. Healy, director of public safety at Princeton University since 2003, will leave his position at the end of the academic year on June 30. The University plans to immediately launch a national search for his successor.

Healy is stepping down to focus more broadly on national issues related to campus safety and security. In addition to serving as a managing partner in Margolis, Healy and Associates, a firm providing safety and security consulting services to the higher education and K-12 communities, Healy is working with Gary Margolis to explore the possibility of establishing the National Institute of Campus Safety at the University of Vermont, where Margolis is chief of police. The institute will serve colleges and universities by offering training programs, conducting research and developing graduate-level courses on the broad range of safety and security issues facing institutions of higher education.

Margolis, Healy & Associates has been awarded a grant from the US Department of Justice, Office on Community Oriented Policing Services to develop and deliver behavioral threat assessment training seminars at sites around the United States.

On the Google Earth map of Redmond, Ore., a red box outlines Redmond High School. This marks what Jesse Peterson, 27, refers to as the ‘kill zone.’