Campus Safety at ASU
Albany State University Police Department
The powers of authority for The ASU Police Department are assigned from the Georgia
Code Annotated, section: Georgia O.C.G.A. 20-3-72. The authority of ASU Police and other security personnel to make arrests on and within
500 yards of any property owned or controlled by the Board of Regents within the State
of Georgia. (Acts 1968.p.370; 1974, p.611). The ASU Police officers are empowered
to make ethical and sound police decisions on both Albany State University East and
West campus as well as the Cordele campus. The police department can use other public
safety agencies under current MOU’S (Memorandums of Understanding) to ensure best
safety practices are conducted.
The ASU Police Department is staffed with police officers, security officers, and
dispatchers every day of the week, 24 hours a day. We offer many services to guarantee
safety and security to those on campus as well as collaborate with many divisions
to participate and offer programs and training such as New Student Orientation, Self
Defense, Alert training, and Women Empowerment Sessions. Ongoing prevention and awareness
campaigns are also offered throughout the year.
In addition, the department is associated with several professional associations:
the American Jail Association, Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, Albany/Dougherty Crime
Stoppers, HBCU Chiefs’ Association, Police Executive Research Firm, International
Chiefs’ Association, Georgia Chiefs’ Association, and the Governor’s Office of Highway
Safety.
Officer Training
The officers of the ASU Police Department come with varied backgrounds, in not only
law enforcement, but military experience as well. The majority of the departmental
personnel are college graduates holding academic degrees in areas of Management, Criminal
Justice, Sociology, and Education, or are currently pursuing an education at Albany
State University.
All members of the ASU Police Department attend specialized training beyond the state-mandated
20-hour requirement for their continued certification. These areas of training include
but are not limited to campus law enforcement training, community-oriented policing,
criminal investigation, crime prevention, bicycle patrol, first aid and C.P.R, and
cultural diversity. The police staff also receive specialized training such as radar,
active shooter, drug testing, post instructor, FEMA, GEMA, NIMS certification, CIT
certifications, and Crime prevention, etc.
The departmental standard is for every officer to obtain over 80 hours of training
per year that varies between in-house and other outside training sources.
Albany State University Police Officers are commissioned under the scope of Georgia
Law and Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.), and have
the same authority as municipal police officers in Georgia. They are authorized to
carry firearms and empowered to make arrests. All criminal incidents on Albany State
University campuses are investigated by the Albany State University Police. All crimes
that occur on either campus or institution property shall be reported to ASU Police
Department.
As stated in the mission statement “The Albany State University Police Department will maintain the highest standards
of professional ethics and integrity with a spirit of excellence. We are committed
to the philosophy of involving the entire campus community in policing. We will build
partnerships and coalitions with staff, faculty and students to identify and recommend
solutions to the problems with the goal of improving the quality of life on campus.
Our commitment is to provide professional service and employ time-tested police methods
and promising innovative approaches to protect better our faculty, staff, students,
and visitors.”
Safety on Campus
Albany State University Police Department is ranked one of the safest schools in the
University System of Georgia with 800+ cameras in total between the East and West
campuses. The Department has several divisions to include: Patrol, Investigations
which includes Sexual Assault and Cyber Security, Emergency Management, Clery, Training,
Internal Affairs, and Parking Services. The Patrol Division performs a wide array
of duties and services. They investigate all complaints of on-campus criminal activity.
Also, the patrol and security officers are responsible for ensuring pedestrian safety,
securing buildings, motorist assistance, security escorts, the general preventive
patrol of buildings, parking lots, residence halls, and other campus areas. In addition
to traditional vehicular patrol, alternative methods of patrol such as foot, ATV,
and bicycle patrol are employed. The Sexual Assault Division consists of one primary
investigator and two secondary investigators. Additionally, all Sergeants are required
to take the entry level sexual assault investigation course.
Our Emergency Management Division is responsible for developing emergency programs
and serves as a key component in planning, coordination of operations, and mitigation
efforts. We coordinate with local and state government agencies during emergencies
to ensure our students and faculty are safe. We utilize the Blackboard Connect 5 notification
system to communicate extreme weather alerts, emergency notifications, and other important
information via text, email, and a phone call to our faculty, staff, and students
in a timely manner. In some cases, the ASU website will also be used as a resource
to disseminate information.
Our Clery Division develops the University’s Clery compliance policies and procedures,
which updates, publishes, and distributes the Annual Safety and Fire Report by October
1st of every year. The Annual Crime Statistics are also submitted to the U.S. Department
of Education at the end of the year, as well as updated on the University website
monthly. Crime and disciplinary referral stats are collected from Student Affairs,
the Title IX Coordinator and local law enforcement to help provide a safer campus.
Our Parking Service personnel help to safeguard students, faculty, and staff by being
certain that vehicles are not obstructing fire lanes, blocking prohibited zones, or
handicapped parking spaces. Any vehicle parked in any space marked reserved or in
any of the reserved parking lots on ASU campus must display a reserved parking permit
to ensure that vehicles are legally parked. Vehicles which are illegally parked are
cited and can be impounded. We take these precautions to help deter criminal activity
and maintain awareness of all visitors from our local community.
We also offer several free services to include: vehicle jump offs, unlock assistance,
engraving, after hour’s escorts, background checks for students, and education programming.
Important numbers:
Chief Gregory Elder Sr.
Office: 229-500-3076
Emergency/Non-Emergency phone:
Dispatch: 229-430-4711
Fax: 229-500-4922