GRU, USG to launch national search for police chief

Augusta, Ga. — A national search will commence for a new Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police at Georgia Regents University.

GRU Police Chief William McBride will retire June 30. Major Gene Maxwell and Major Earnest Black will provide experienced leadership to the Public Safety Division while GRU works closely with the University System of Georgia’s Safety and Security Division to identify qualified candidates to serve in this important position.

As a growing comprehensive research university with nearly 10,000 students enrolled in its nine colleges and schools, GRU will search for qualified candidates with experience serving undergraduate student populations. The university broke ground this spring on new residence halls to help attract and retain students. The new 724-bed student-housing complex will be located on the university’s Health Sciences campus, home of the 478-bed Georgia Regents Medical Center and 154-bed Children’s Hospital of Georgia. In an effort to conduct a thorough search for top candidates to lead the diverse needs of the campus community and academic medical center, no deadline has been set for completion of the search.

The Public Safety Division was established in 1973 to provide professional law enforcement to GRU campuses, hospitals, and clinics and is one of 31 police departments in the USG. In May, USG launched a system-wide campus safety initiative to improve training, education, implementation, tracking, and accountability. Key components include required training to help identify and prevent sexual violence and harassment, mental health education for public safety officers, and a new central website for campus crime reports.

The men and women of GRU’s Public Safety Division are dedicated to creating a safe and secure environment for education, research, service, and care in an effective, responsive, and professional manner. The Division includes the GRU Police Bureau, Key Control, and Vehicle Services. Learn more at gru.edu/publicsafety.