Valdosta State University Chief of Police Alan Rowe stands at the helm of the largest professional association for law enforcement administrators in Georgia. His fundamental purpose is to provide the most up-to-date and relevant training available for the more than 700 senior law enforcement leaders he represents.  

Rowe was sworn in as the 60^th president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police on July 26. He is the second-ever voice for campus policing to serve in the organization’s history. He first joined the organization’s executive board when he was elected third vice president in 2019. Following his year as president, he will continue to serve through 2024 when he completes a one-year term as immediate past president.   

The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police has a number of goals — to promote cooperative, professional relationships throughout the state; to evaluate the standards of police institutions and the profession; to offer quality training and continuing education for administrators; and to provide opportunities for police executives to exchange information and experiences. 

“The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police’s motto and primary mission is ‘Accenting Professional Law Enforcement Through Training,’” Rowe shared. “As a personal goal, I plan to explore additional ways to offset the cost of training for agencies that can demonstrate a financial need.”    

Rowe said he and his Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police team hope to continue building relationships with state leaders and “work diligently alongside them to ensure all Georgians have the best law enforcement service possible.”  

Rowe’s law enforcement career began while serving his country as a command investigator and watch commander in the United States Navy. He later transitioned to city policing, where he served first as a patrol officer in Fort Valley, Georgia, then as a corporal and training officer in Ashburn, Georgia. He was 28 years old when he was named chief of police in Pavo, Georgia, where he successfully implemented an extensive policy manual, where none previously existed, and utilized technology resources to update the department and extend additional services to the community.   

Rowe switched gears in 2015 when he came to work for VSU as the Department of Public Safety’s emergency management coordinator. Six months later he assumed the duties of interim director of public safety and interim chief of police. Following a nationwide search, he officially became VSU’s eighth director of public safety and chief of police in early 2017. 

Rowe’s accomplishments at VSU include leading minority recruitment programs, increasing community policing engagement with the student body, and completing the 129 professional standards of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police’s rigorous State Certification Program. He was selected as a member of Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange’s 27^th delegation to Israel, where he expanded his training in community policing. In 2021 he earned the International Association of Chiefs of Police 40 Under 40 Award, which recognizes talented, accomplished, and dedicated law enforcement professionals from around the world who demonstrate leadership and exemplify commitment to their profession.  

“If asked at the beginning of my career if I ever saw myself working in campus policing, much less leading a university department, the answer would have been a firm ‘no,’” Rowe shared. “Back then, as an eager rookie, ready to solve the world’s problems with my citation book, I never fathomed the true impact community policing, especially in a campus environment, could have.” 

Community policing is a strategy for achieving more effective and efficient crime control, reduced fear of crime, improved quality of life, and improved police services and police legitimacy. Rowe noted that these goals are achieved through a proactive reliance on community resources and through greater police accountability, a greater public share in decision-making, and a greater concern for civil rights and liberties. 

In his latest role as president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Rowe said he looks forward to further bridging the gap between “traditional” and campus law enforcement. He said each provide the same services; they just carry out those services in a different manner.  

“I have no doubt we can continue to learn from each other,” he added.