Vince Ybarra

Managing Editor

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After over 30 years of service in the Air Force and eight years as chief of police at Trident Technical College in South Carolina, Lawrence Savidge, decided to take on the position as the head of the Los Rios Police Department.

Savidge is aware that changes need to be made on all campuses in the Los Rios District, some of which have already taken place. The changes to come are in the Los Rios Police Department’s procedures and operations. The biggest change students and faculty will see is in emergency management.

“We’ve already made some changes to the alerting system on how you all get notified,” says Savidge. He has made changes on how students are notified about emergencies on campus.

With students moving from one campus to another in a day, Savidge understands students and faculty concerns.

“It’s about making ourselves more available,” says Savidge.

Savidge says he understands the importance of a diverse staff regarding potential biases within the police force.

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Savidge hopes to create additional implicit bias training for his staff to ensure the Los Rios district has the best law enforcement available.

Savidge says he is well aware how difficult it is to find good people for the job. Coming from military law enforcement, Savidge knows how to manage the difference between the two kinds of policing.

“The difference is personnel, recruitment and retaining police officers,” says Savidge. “We have a lot of good people, and we are trying to hire more good people.”

Savidge says it’s not just about hiring the right people, but maintaining a dialogue with the community.

“We’re willing to sit down and meet with any groups that would like to invite us,” says Savidge.

He hopes to reach out to the community and host events on campus as a way to get the community involved with the LRPD. He wants people to be open with the department and share thoughts and concerns they see around all four campus. Savidge sees this as a way to make positive changes in the community.

Savidge says his experience in military police lend to the needs of his current position. After retiring from the Air Force in 2010, Savidge was unsure of where to go and what type of work he wanted to do. He looked at a number of different jobs in both the government and civilian sector. He applied for multiple positions, then he got a call from a Trident Technical College in Charleston, South Carolina.

“When I got the job, I really enjoyed it,” says Savidge.