November 30, 2016 - Albany, GA - Albany Technical College (ATC) will hold a Swearing In Ceremony to announce the new Albany Tech Police Department on Thursday, December 1, 2016, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Executive Board Room of the Logistics Education Center.
For the past several years, Albany Tech has been utilizing the police department at Albany State University (ASU) for campus security, but decided it was time to create a police department at the college. The new police department will be headed up by Chief Roychard Hill, who previously served at ATC through ASU’s Police Department as the lieutenant. With 14 years of experience in law enforcement, he has excelled in many capacities in his profession by obtaining certifications ranging from Interviews and Interrogations, Investigations, to Campus Violence Prevention Team Training, Chief Executive Training, and all levels of Incident Management System (NIMS) Training.
With a diverse history in law enforcement, including Emergency Management, Detention, Criminal Apprehension, Crime Prevention, and Supervision, Hill is also a Certified Investigator, Sexual Assault Response Team Investigator, and a Certified Crisis Intervention Team Officer. He has attended and facilitated numerous active shooter training and exercises, as well as completed the Active Shooter Training Course.
Throughout his career, Hill has worked for various law enforcement agencies and departments, including the Cuthbert Police Department, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, the Shellman Police Department, and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. He joined the ASU Police Department in 2007 and received several certificates and commendations, as well as served as a senior command staff member. While at ASU, he served as the Lieutenant Commander of Patrol of three patrol units/shifts at Albany Tech.
“I believe that the establishment of our department couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Hill. “With all the occurrences of campus shootings and with college campuses being the target of other crimes, it makes a great difference to the community when they are deciding where they want to continue their education. People want to go where they feel safe and having a police department as part of this institution is an awesome milestone.”
The new ATC Police Department will also include two officers, Officer Lolita Clyde and Officer Artie Gardner, both of which who previously served at ATC through the agreement with ASU Police Department. Clyde is a four-year veteran on the police force, who previously served as a sergeant with the ASU Police Department. She is a recent graduate of ASU and is currently working toward completing her master’s degree in Criminal Justice in just a few months. She has received training for Crisis Intervention Team Member – CIT, Adult Crises Intervention – ACIT, National Incident Management System Training – NIMS, CPR/First Aid, Radar Certified, Dean’s List Recipient for March of 2015, and has also received letters of accommodation in 2015 and Officer of the Quarter and Employee of the Year for ASU from October to December of 2015. She will serve as Patrolman at ATC.
Officer Artie Gardner is a veteran in law enforcement who has climbed the ladder to chief and back to an officer. Prior to his time at ATC, he worked as the Chief of Police for Smithville for several years and the Chief of Investigations for the Sumter County Sheriff’s Department. He frequently speaks on the topic of safety at law enforcement seminars and also serves as a Councilman for the City of Dawson.
Albany Tech’s Campus Safety Coordinator and Chair of the Law Enforcement Technology Program, Kenneth Singleton, says that the formation of the ATC Police Department will give the faculty, staff, students, parents, visitors, and the community as a whole, the confidence to know that ATC is a safe place to work and learn.
“Albany Tech’s new police department will promote the Community Oriented Policing philosophy, which is building the partnership between the police department and the community,” said Singleton. “This new endeavor will also enhance and solidify the work relationship between the local, State, and Federal Criminal Justice agencies, as well as broaden the police efforts in enforcing laws on campus, arrest powers, police presence, and visibility.”
With this initiation, Albany Tech becomes the 17th of the 22 technical colleges with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) to have an onsite police department.