University President Michael Lovell established a Marquette Police Department Advisory Board, which provides recommendations on MUPD policies and procedures to Lovell, the Board of Trustees and MUPD Chief Paul Mascari.

The announcement was sent in a university news brief on Nov. 2. The board’s charter states that additional responsibilities will include reviewing complaints against MUPD personnel and any other duties assigned to the board by Lovell or the Board of Trustees. 

“I think it’s a really good idea for the university to have constituted this board because this was an opportunity for there to be input from the constituencies that the Marquette Police Department serves and have input from them on the operation of the department,” said Thomas Hammer, chairman of the board and associate professor of law.

Hammer said he looks forward to having the board serve as a valuable resource for the university and the police department.

The advisory board consists of:

• Hammer
• Zack Wallace, Marquette Student Government president and representative to the board
• Herbert Lowe, academic senate representative to the board and director of the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism
• Carol Trecek, staff senate representative to the board and director of continuing education and alumni relations at Marquette School of Dentistry
• Keith Stanley, the community representative to the board and executive director of Avenues West and Near West Side Partners

“We can be a resource for (MUPD),” Hammer said. “We can be a resource to the university. We can be a source of suggestions for things the department ought to do. We can be a source of getting information to the department and to the university from the various constituencies that are served by the board.”

Hammer said he was asked to serve as the chairperson late this summer. He said there have been many meetings between the university counsel, Mascari, John Lamb, the vice president of finance and Jim McMahon, the vice president of student affairs, to put together documents to launch the advisory board.

“I think everybody around the table here wants MUPD to be a success, wants to get be successful in improving safety in our campus community and the area around our campus,” Hammer said. “We want to be a resource to help make that happen.”

Before making a presentation at the board’s first meeting, Mascari thanked the members of the advisory board for serving their positions.

“I think it’s going to be extremely beneficial to us and our operations,” Mascari said. “As I’ve said from the beginning, I want to run a department centered on transparency and communication and I think this advisory board is a key component of that.”

The advisory board’s first meeting took place Nov. 10 in the Alumni Memorial Union Monaghan Ballrooms. The meeting included discussions on the charter and operating rules. Mascari gave a presentation on the transition from a department of public safety to MUPD, which included descriptions of MUPD community outreach initiatives like Coffee with a Cop. At the end of the meeting the board elected Lowe vice-chair. Three people were in attendance at the meeting.

The next Advisory Board meeting will take place Dec. 8 at 3 p.m.