Share and Follow
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Savannah State University (SSU) has announced the appointment of a new chief of police. On Wednesday, Torrance Garvin was welcomed into his role on campus.
Garvin, a native of Savannah, brings with him 34 years of experience from the Savannah Police Department. He takes over from Interim Chief Sydney Thomas, stepping into leadership as the SSU Chief of Police.
“The essence of being a police officer remains unchanged,” Garvin explained. “The difference now lies in engaging with students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Our emphasis is on community policing.”
Thomas, who served as interim chief for the last four months, laid the groundwork that Garvin plans to build upon.
A key priority for Garvin is to strengthen the relationship between campus law enforcement and the student body, fostering a sense of safety and collaboration.
“The need to know who they’re putting their safety and their trust in,” Garvin said. “I’m glad to be the face of the department.”
Garvin said he will take his experience from his years with SPD and bring it to the university. This includes adding new programs and initiatives for the students.
“One of the things we plan on doing, is that we are going to be putting on classes,” Garvin said. “Those classes are going to assist the things that I believe students need to know about, seatbelt laws, distractions, safety in numbers and everything else like that.”
Garvin said if you come on SSU’s campus, don’t be surprised if you see more officers and patrol cars visible throughout the campus.
“You going to see a lot of uniformed officers,” Garvin said. “You’re going to see different people in and out. We will be teaming up with different partners, the city, the county, even Thunderbolt and even the sheriff’s office. They’re going to be bringing them on board just to be out here on the campus because the sense of security is our top priority.”
For the next ninety days Garvin is in an observation period. During this time, he said he will meet students, staff and familiarize himself with the campus.