Who We Are
The University of West Georgia (UWG) Police Department is part of the President's Division and answers to the President of the University. The UWG Police Department provides traditional law enforcement services, security, and emergency response to the University Community 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. "WE NEVER CLOSE!" Each officer and employee is responsible for accomplishing the department’s mission through performance and demonstrating excellence in providing professional law enforcement and safety services. Officers and employees are aware of the department mission, statutory authority (OGCA- 20-3-72 & 20-8-2 & 20-8-3) as law enforcement officers, jurisdictional boundaries, use of discretion, and the role of the department within the community. Each police officer, before exercising the powers of a University Police Officer, will fulfill the training requirements of a sworn/certified officer as defined in Georgia Law 35-8-8. Thus, all officers are required to complete the Georgia POST Basic (Police Academy) before any assignment in any capacity in which the officer is allowed to carry weapons or is in a position to make an arrest.
The UWG Police Department’s jurisdiction includes all property owned or leased by the University plus 500 yards. Since the University falls under the authority of the University System of Georgia, University Police officers have arrest authority on the campuses of the other 26 institutions within the system. Certified officers from those institutions may exercise their arrest powers while on the West Georgia campus.
The UWG Police Department is organized into Administrative, Uniform, Criminal Investigative, and Communication divisions. Each division performs separate and distinct activities, which are interrelated. Supervisors of each of the four components answer directly to the Chief of Police.