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Gregory Harris is Johnson C. Smith University’s new campus police chief.

Harris, a criminal justice instructor at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, starts on Feb. 15. His hire comes at a time of increased security initiatives at JCSU, which includes establishment of a 24-hour campus dispatch center to monitor buildings and surrounding areas, boosting the number of officers per shift from three to four and finalizing a mutual aid agreement with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.

"The opportunity to serve as the new chief of police at Johnson C. Smith University is one that I am honored to accept," Harris said. "It is my goal to continue to build the department through strategic planning, training and equipping the staff with professional development and current technology that will assist in the safety and security for the Johnson C. Smith University community."

Harris, a former chief of police at Clemson University in South Carolina, has 21 years of law-enforcement management experience. He was a special agent and senior narcotics agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and was director of state and private law enforcement agencies in Atlanta, Marietta and Columbus, Ga. Harris directed security at an Atlanta parking venue during the 1996 Olympics and managed security at the 2007 Democratic presidential candidates debate at S.C. State.

"Chief Harris brings a phenomenal amount of expertise in regards to public safety," JCSU President Ronald Carter said. "Our institution looks forward to working with Chief Harris as he helps to implement the various enhanced safety measures for our students, faculty and staff."

Harris is a 1994 graduate of Saint Leo University in Decatur, Ga., and earned a masters degree in from Kennesaw State University in 1998.

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