When Jimmy Williamson joined the University of Georgia police force, Vince Dooley was coaching the UGA Bulldogs, Athens band R.E.M. had just signed with Warner Bros and UGA was home to 10,000 less students.
Athens has changed a lot since 1988, but 30 years later, Williamson still works for the UGA Police Department, where he has been the police chief since 2004, though this era is coming to a close. His last day is June 30.
“I enjoyed my position here and decided to stay for a while, which turned into a 30-year career,” Williamson said in an email.
Williamson began working for UGAPD soon after he earned his degree in agronomy from Middle Georgia College. He worked on the force while taking classes at UGA and even declined a position in the Secret Service due to the demanding nature of the job.
“Work-life balance hasn’t always been easy to maintain, and there are a lot of moments with my family that I’ve missed out on. But, with this job, I got to be home every night and that was important to me,” Williamson said.
Thirty years on the job has produced its fair share of stress, but Williamson said support from the community is what motivated him to stay on.
“In times where I thought the drive to do the job was diminishing, an event would occur, sometimes tragic, and the response of appreciation from those involved would give me a new burst of energy to continue,” Williamson said.
The most notable change since he started working in 1988, Williamson said, is the overall growth of the Athens and UGA communities.
“Athens has also become more of a destination for education, sporting events, large profile events, VIPs,” Williamson said. “This means that the police department needs to cover more events, work more hours and assist more people.”
Under Williamson’s tenure, UGAPD created a bomb squad, introduced K-9 units and motorcycle units.
Apart from the increased responsibility brought by a larger university, Williamson said the standard for officers has also changed, with increased scrutiny of police conduct.
“It’s clear the community expects more from their law enforcement agencies than they ever have before,” Williamson said. “We have to work harder to meet expectations.”
UGAPD Captain and professor of law enforcement Dan Silk said the effects of Williamson’s leadership at UGAPD will continue after he retires, especially in terms of community policing.
“He pays very close attention to the ways in which policing affects our community as a whole,” Silk said.
Other than providing security for events, Williamson said police at UGA actually do a the same job as any other department.
“The higher education environment is a microcosm of society. What happens in any community across the country can and does happen here, just on a smaller scale,” Williamson said.
Silk said Williamson also had a great influence on him personally, having known Williamson for 24 years.
“It would be difficult to overstate how influential he has been in my career,” Silk said.
Williamson mentions that UGA police might have a certain stigma attached to their jobs, but he takes pride in his officers, confident that they will do good work after his retirement.
“Sometimes their roles are seen less than other law enforcement officers because they serve a higher education community, but the truth is that any and every community would be served well by these officers,” Williamson said.
After stepping down as chief, Williamson plans to run for Oconee County sheriff in two years.
“Being sheriff is being the head of a law enforcement agency, which is what I’ve done for the last 14 years,” Williamson said. “The skills needed are ones that I’ve demonstrated in my time as chief.”
