Georgia Highlands College welcomed its new chief of campus police, David Horace, on Feb. 9.

Horace’s arrival was brought upon by the retirement of John Upton, former chief of security, and the decision made by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia that requires all chiefs of security to be certified in accordance with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, Council rules and regulations.

Horace received his training through the Department of Criminal Justice in Virginia.

He obtained his Basic Law Enforcement Training certification in North Carolina. His POST certification is through the state of Georgia.

Horace has been working in law enforcement for 19 years.

Horace said he has plans for changing the current structure of the security team and security policies.

Some policies will be changed to be more in compliance with POST standards, and he plans to transition the security team into a police department. He also plans to add more certified officers to the team.

Before coming to GHC, Horace worked with the Johnson C. Smith University Police Department in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Prior to that, he was the chief of police for Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va.

Some of the main reasons Horace came to work at GHC were that he had worked in Georgia before and enjoyed being here and has family here he would like to be close to.

Horace said that the thing he is going to like most about working for a small college, such as GHC, is that it will be easier to establish a good relationship with the faculty and students.

He also stated he likes being in his line of work, and that he especially likes “being in a position to help someone. I enjoy helping others.”