Joycelyn M. Johnson
Chief of Police, Southern University and A&M College

Joycelyn M. Johnson serves as the current chief of police at the Southern University Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The campus is the flagship of the only system of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation, which also includes Southern University Law Center and Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center (both on the Baton Rouge landmass), Southern University at New Orleans, and Southern University Shreveport.

Johnson was hired as a patrol officer in 1999 with the Southern University Police Department and was appointed chief in 2014. She has held every ranking position except captain. As chief, she is responsible for staffing, training, discipline, strategic planning and development, policy development and implementation, budgeting, and community relations. 

An innovator, Johnson has upgraded and/or implemented technology in the day-to-day operations of the police department. This includes the vital Jags Safe app, which allows students, staff and other university stakeholders to receive and to send real-time emergency messaging on mobile devices.

Johnson is a graduate of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, where she earned an associate’s degree in law enforcement, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and a master’s degree in criminal justice administration. 

Johnson continues to develop and maintain relationships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; community leaders; most importantly the students of Southern University A&M College-BR and the public to foster trust, understanding and cooperation.

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