Photo by Sean Keenan | The Signal
On March 22 Becker announced Georgia State University Police Chief Connie Sampson would be stepping down from the position to focus full-time efforts on the school’s building services.
In the interim, while GSUPD shops around for a new head cop, Deputy Chief Carlton Mullis will fill the slot.
This restructuring comes the day after a double shooting outside of the school’s Piedmont North residence hall.
Read Becker’s letter below:
To the Georgia State University community,
I know you share my outrage over the on-campus shooting that took place last night in front of the Piedmont North housing complex. While the suspects were taken into custody and charged shortly after the incident, these types of crimes are completely unacceptable and rightfully alarm our community.
I was particularly disheartened to learn that one of our own Georgia State students allegedly created the situation by selling drugs to visitors to campus.
I am proud of the hard work, dedication and commitment of our University Police Department, yet it is a time to make a change in leadership. Connie Sampson, who heads University Police as associate vice president for university police and building services, will now focus entirely on building services. We are beginning the search for an experienced law enforcement professional whose entire focus will be campus safety. In the interim, Deputy Chief Carlton Mullis will serve as acting chief of police.
We are also immediately changing our processes for timely notifications and emergency alerts. Many students and parents expressed concern they first heard about the incident on the news rather than from their own university. I am disappointed we did not promptly and effectively communicate what was happening last night as information became available. We will provide more timely and frequent messages through a variety of channels to keep you informed.
I welcome your feedback and suggestions as we move forward.
Mark Becker
President
Georgia State University
