The UGA Police Department headquarters is located at 286 Oconee Street, Athens, Georgia, 30602 in the Hodgson Oil Building. Officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The UGA Police Department employs trained officers who are certified by the Peace Officers Standards and Training Council of Georgia, along with a corps of supporting staff members.
The UGA Police Department is comprised of three bureaus:
- Administrative, Fiscal & Support Services;
- Community Engagement & Professional Standards;
- and Operations.
The UGA Police Department also includes advanced service teams including a bomb disposal unit, a K9 unit, and the special response team, crisis negotiation team, and accident reconstruction team. The Operations Bureau includes the patrol division, which responds to calls concerning criminal activity or requests for assistance, as well as the criminal investigation division. Officers patrol the Athens campus 24 hours a day, in marked vehicles, on bicycles, and on foot. Crime reports may be made at any time, either in person or by telephone at 706-542-2200; all complaints or reports of criminal or suspicious activity are investigated, and arrests are made when evidence warrants. UGA Police can be contacted by individuals using TTY (text telephone) devices for communications at 706-542-1188. TTY is a text message system that is used by speech and/or hearing-impaired individuals to communicate via phone lines with other TTY users.
UGA’s police officers have jurisdiction on campus and can, if necessary, enforce state laws within 500 yards of campus. They have authority to make arrests. Crimes off campus in Athens-Clarke County should be reported to the Athens-Clarke County Police (911). The UGA Police Department works regularly with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
The UGA Police Department is unable to respond directly to emergency calls at the University’s campuses at Griffin, Tifton, and Gwinnett due to the distance of these campuses from the Athens Campus. The UGA Police Department encourages faculty, staff, and students on the Griffin, Tifton, and Gwinnett campuses to report any immediate threats to the local law enforcement agency listed below for those areas.
The Griffin Campus – The City of Griffin Police Department at 911 for emergencies or 770-229-6450 for non-emergencies.
The Gwinnett Campus – The Gwinnett County Police Department at 911 for emergencies or 770-513-5000 for nonemergencies.
The Tifton Campus – The Police Department of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, which borders the UGA Tifton campus, at 229-391-5060, and/or the City of Tifton Police Department at 911 for emergencies or 229-382-3132 for non-emergencies.
Timely Warning Policy and Emergency Notification Plan
Timely Warnings
Anyone with information about an emergency situation or other situation that may warrant a timely warning or emergency notification should contact the UGA Police Department immediately at 706-542-2200. Timely warnings and emergency notifications will withhold as confidential the names and other identifying information of victims.
In the event that a situation arises, either on or off campus, that, in the judgment of the Chief of the UGA Police Department or their designee, constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat, a campus-wide “timely warning” will be issued. Such a warning will be issued without delay, as soon as the pertinent information is available to permit such a warning. The warning will be issued through a campus-wide email to all faculty, staff, and students, a push notification through the UGA Safe app, and through local media outlets in some instances. The Dean or Director at the Griffin, Gwinnett, Tifton, and Skidaway campuses can authorize a UGA Alert emergency message at their campus.
Emergency Notifications
In the event that a situation arises constituting a significant emergency or dangerous situation occurring on one or more UGA campuses that involves an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees, the University will, without delay, and taking into account the safety of the community, provide an emergency notification to the campus community in accordance with the University’s Campus Emergency Management Plan and Emergency Notification Plan, available here, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of the Chief of the UGA Police Department or their designee, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency. The determination of the existence of an emergency situation as well as the content and delivery method of an emergency notification to at-risk members of the campus community are likewise made in accordance with the Emergency Notification Plan.
Pursuant to the Emergency Notification Plan, the existence of an emergency situation is determined by the Chief of the UGA Police Department or their designee. After determining that an emergency situation exists, the Chief of the UGA Police Department or their designee determines the appropriate segment or segments of the UGA Community to receive an emergency notification. The content of the emergency notification is then provided by the Chief of the UGA Police Department or a designee, and the notification is sent out to the appropriate segment or segments of the campus community through UGA Alert and/or via Archnews. Notifications and updates can also be found here
All UGA students are automatically enrolled to receive UGA Alert emergency messages by text, voice phone call, and email. Faculty and staff are automatically enrolled to receive UGA Alert emergency messages by email. Students, faculty, and staff can update their alert preferences, including adding additiona alert methods, by logging into www.ugaalert.uga.edu. Parents and campus affiliates, including on-campus contractors, can also register to receive UGA Alert emergency messages at www.ugaalert.uga.edu. Emergency messages are sent by the following methods:
- Text message
- Voice phone call
- Push notifications through the UGA Safe app and UGA app. Download the UGA Safe app here.
- Pop up messages through the UGA desktop alert app if installed on UGA network computers. Download the app here.
- Social media postings on the Office of Emergency Preparedness Facebook page and on X to @UGAOEP, @UGAAlert and @universityofga
- Website postings at uga.edu and www.emergency.uga.edu
- Digital screens in various locations around the Athens campus
UGA Alert is available on the main Athens campus as well as at the Griffin, Tifton, and Skidaway campuses. The Dean or Director at the Griffin, Gwinnett, Tifton, and Skidaway campuses can authorize a UGA Alert emergency message at their campus.
Daily Crime Log
Consistent with the Clery Act requirements, the UGA Police Department maintains a Daily Crime Log that records, listed by date and time the incident occurred and was reported, all crimes and other serious incidents that are reported to UGA Police. This includes incidents that occur on campus; in a non-campus building or property owned or operated by the University or its registered student organizations “in a reasonably contiguous geographic area”; on public property within, adjacent to, or immediately accessible from the campus; or within UGA Police Department’s patrol jurisdiction. The Daily Crime Log is available for public inspection at the UGA Police Department or online. The Daily Crime Log is available for a minimum of seven years on the UGA Police Department website. The public may access the most recent approximate six month period of Daily Crime Logs in the UGA Police Department Records lobby without the need for a request. Any other requests for the Daily Crime Log are fulfilled with two business days. Additionally, all Clery related documentation is maintained for a minimum of seven years.
The Daily Crime Log includes the nature, date, and time the incident occurred and was reported, and general location of each crime, as well as its disposition. The UGA Police Department posts incidents in the Daily Crime Log within two business days of receiving a report of an incident and, in accordance with the Clery Act requirements, may exclude incidents from the log in certain circumstances, particularly in circumstances where inclusion may compromise an ongoing investigation. Limited information may be temporarily withheld if: it could jeopardize an ongoing investigation or the safety of an individual; cause a suspect to flee or evade detection; result in the destruction of evidence; the disclosure is prohibited by law; or the disclosure would compromise the confidentiality of the victim.
Record Keeping
As required by the Clery Act, the University of Georgia retains for at least seven years all records documenting reports of Clery crimes made to the University of Georgia Police Department, other Campus Security Authorities, and local law enforcement. This will include the timely warning determination for each report, and if a timely warning was made a copy of that warning. Also retained are records of all crime prevention and educational programming offered, including but not limited to security procedures, alcohol and other drugs, and sexual violence, across the institution.
The University of Georgia Police Department retains all entries made in the daily crime and fire log for at least seven years. Copies of these archived entries will be made available for public inspection within two business days of a request.
For a period of seven years, the University will maintain records of:
- Each investigation conducted involving reported sexual misconduct, including any determination regarding responsibility and any audio or audiovisual recording or transcript, any disciplinary sanctions imposed on the Respondent, and any remedies provided to the Complainant designed to restore or preserve equal access to University programs or activities;
- Any appeal and the result therefrom;
- Any informal resolution and the result therefrom; and
- Any supportive measures or actions taken in response to a report or formal complaint under this policy and the rationale for the measure/response.