News and Updates

SGSC’S Police Department Completes Training to Enhance Campus Safety

The South Georgia State College (SGSC) Police Department recently completed a week-long training on several new laws, processes and procedures to further enhance campus safety.

At SGSC, police officers are responsible for not only enforcing federal, state, and local laws but they also must adhere to federal reporting requirements for campus based crime activity. Special sessions were held concerning searches and seizures as well as a refresher class on criminal law and procedure. The topic of House Bill 280, commonly known as campus carry, which went into effect on July 1, was also discussed. Specific details on the bill and its exclusions were covered.

In addition, the officers were trained on Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), Tasers, and first aid. Ms. Brooke Bowen, legal counsel from the University System of Georgia (USG), spoke with the staff on the topic of freedom of expression and other key points of interest.

Due to the recent rise of opioid overdoses, training and certification on the use of naloxone, a Narcan© spray, was held. Increased awareness of, and access to, naloxone is saving lives nationwide. Other topics were report writing and emergency notification methods.

Ms. Sonja McCulloch, SGSC Chief of Police, comments, “Our department takes pride in providing a safe and secure learning environment for  our college community, and this training will further enhance the level of service we can provide to our scope of work.”

The South Georgia State College Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency on the Douglas Campus.  The Department is recognized by the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Council as a police agency and its authority stems from Georgia law.  All police officers are certified peace officers of the State of Georgia and certification comes only after successful attendance at a recognized police academy.  Additionally, officers meet annual POST training requirements in order to retain their arrest powers.