Ohio State names new public safety director

Daniel Smyth
Thu, 22 Sep 2016 04:17:34 +0000
Area, Campus, Local, News, Department of Safety, moll, Monica Moll, new public safety director, osu, Public Safety Director

Monica Mall will become the new director of public safety at the Ohio State University beginning October 31. Courtesy of Ohio State

Monica Moll, the current director of public safety and police chief at Bowling Green State University, will take over as director of public safety at Ohio State beginning Oct. 31.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead Ohio State’s well-respected Department of Public Safety,” Moll said in a press release.

As public safety director, Moll oversee University Police, Emergency Management and Fire Prevention, Central Campus Security Services, Communications and Security Technology, and Wexner Medical Center Security, said Dan Hedman, spokesman for OSU’s Office of Administration and Planning.

“Ohio State has an outstanding legacy of protecting and serving the campus community, and I look forward to carrying on the tradition through a combination of police, security, technology and key public safety partnerships,” Moll said in a news release.

On the other hand, BGSU will now have to search for a replacement for Moll. In the meantime, Capt. Mike Campbell will act as the interim chief.

“She understands what it takes to manage a public safety team on a college campus and maintains strong relationships with local, state and federal law enforcement partners,” Jay Kasey, senior vice president of Ohio State’s Office of Administration and Planning, said in a press release.

Moll has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience on her resume.

In 1996, she began working at Kent State University as a patrol officer and eventually worked her way to the rank of lieutenant. In 2010, she joined the BGSU Police Department.

“In Monica’s six years with BGSU, she has made a deep and lasting impact,” wrote Sheri Stoll, vice president for finance and administration and CFO at BGSU, in a notice about Moll’s departure. “Under her leadership, the BGSU Police Department has gained recognition as an outstanding law enforcement organization,”

In 2012, Moll received a letter of reprimand after accidentally discharging her pistol while dismantling it for cleaning, according to local media reports.

There were two other officers in the room at the time, and the pistol was aimed downward and away from everyone. No one was injured during the incident.

The investigation of the incident revealed that Moll had to pull the trigger in order to dismantle the pistol, and she had left a live round of ammunition in the chamber.

Moll will be replacing Vernon Baisden, former director of OSU’s Department of Public Safety, who was at Ohio State for 15 years before retiring in April.

During Baisden’s tenure as director, Security Magazine ranked OSU’s public safety department the second best operation in the U.S. among all colleges and universities during both 2009 and 2010.