Louisville Metro Police Department major joins Indiana University Southeast as chief of university police

Charles Edelen will begin Sept. 1 after retiring from LMPD

By MATT THACKER

NEW ALBANY — Indiana University Southeast announced Tuesday it has hired a new chief for its police department.

Lt. Charles Edelen will retire as acting major with the Louisville Metro Police Department at the end of the month and will take over as IUS police chief Sept. 1.

“I’m very excited,” Edelen said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me.”

He said he wanted to stay in law enforcement after retiring from LMPD and thought his training and skills fit the job description IUS posted for its chief position.

“I’ve got some firefighting experience, and the duties and responsibilities posted fit under that,” Edelen said.

He will manage about 10 officers as well as administrative staff. He also will be responsible for investigating major campus incidents, scheduling fire and safety inspections and developing disaster reaction plans.

“Charles Edelen is a fine example of all the qualities we were searching for in a police chief,” Chancellor Sandra R. Patterson-Randles said in a press release. “His decades of experience and knowledge of law enforcement practices will undoubtedly serve our students, faculty, staff and visitors well.”

Monica Wise, who has been with the IUS police department 20 years, has served as interim chief since May 1 when Dennis Simon announced his retirement.

“It is essential for any university that students, faculty, staff and visitors feel as safe as possible while they are on campus,” Dana Wavle, vice chancellor for Administrative Affairs, said in the press release. “The chief of the university police is the senior law enforcement official at IU Southeast and is vital to protecting the campus community.

“In Chief Edelen, we are confident we chose the best candidate for this position.”

IUS received more than 30 applications for the opening, according to public relations specialist

Erica Walsh.

Edelen said he knows he has things to learn about policing a campus but thinks his recent experience as a student and his experience with a college-age son will help him to understand the issues facing universities.

Edelen, of Fisherville, Ky., received a bachelor’s degree in justice administration from the University of Louisville in 2007. He said he had been taking classes part-time for many years.

“One of the things I wanted to do was finish my degree before my son got to college, which I did. He’s a junior at U of L now,” Edelen said.

He has another son who is a senior in high school.

Edelen has been with

LMPD for 21 years and rose through the ranks from officer to lieutenant. He was commander of the bomb squad from 2003-07 and was team leader with the hostage-negotiating team. He was a firefighter for eight years.

He is now the acting major for the administrative division of the LMPD.

He graduated from the FBI National Academy and received instructor certification from the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council.

Edelen said he had the opportunity to meet most of the police officers when he interviewed for the position. He said he would have liked to start before the school year began, but is not allowed to retire before the end of the month.

He understands he will face a learning curve for the first month or so.

“I’ll have to get my powers of arrest and all that straight and get certification. I don’t know how long that will take. Maybe a month,” he said.

The police department primarily is responsible for campus property and adjacent streets, but it also shares concurrent jurisdiction throughout the county.

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