Essential Responsibilities:
This description of job responsibilities is intended to reflect the major responsibilities and duties of the job, but is not intended to describe minor duties or other responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time.
Leadership and Strategic Operations
- Provides executive leadership and management of all hospital police, security, workplace violence prevention, and related public safety operations across the Health System.
- Develops, implements, and evaluates police programs that align with Health System strategic objectives, regulatory requirements, and patient-centered care principles.
- Leads the development of policies, procedures, and operational standards that support a safe environment of care while preserving dignity, privacy, and patient experience.
- Serves as a member of multidisciplinary leadership teams and committees supporting organizational safety, emergency management, workplace violence prevention, patient safety, regulatory readiness, and business continuity.
- Ensures effective deployment of personnel, technology, equipment, and resources to achieve operational objectives.
Healthcare Regulatory and Compliance Integration
- Maintains working knowledge of healthcare regulations and accreditation standards including HIPAA, EMTALA, CMS Conditions of Participation, DNV standards, OSHA requirements, Georgia healthcare regulations, and applicable federal and state laws.
- Ensures police and security operations support organizational compliance efforts and do not negatively impact patient rights, patient care delivery, privacy requirements, or accreditation standards.
- Collaborates with Compliance, Legal, Risk Management, Patient Safety, Quality, Human Resources, Emergency Management, Infection Prevention, and Clinical Operations on matters involving investigations, regulatory events, grievances, workplace violence, and organizational risk.
- Assists with regulatory surveys, accreditation activities, corrective action plans, and organizational readiness initiatives.
- Serves as a subject matter expert on healthcare security and workplace violence prevention programs.
Police Operations and Investigations
- Directs all police department activities including criminal investigations, incident response, evidence management, emergency response, crime prevention, threat assessment, and enforcement activities.
- Ensures compliance with Georgia POST standards, GCIC/CJIS requirements, and all applicable law enforcement regulations.
- Reviews reports, investigations, arrests, use-of-force incidents, and other critical documentation for compliance, accuracy, completeness, and professional standards.
- Maintains effective partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
- Oversees workplace violence investigations, behavioral threat assessments, and protective response planning in collaboration with Human Resources, Legal, Patient Safety, and executive leadership.
Environment of Care and Protective Services
- Oversees enterprise physical security systems, including access control, CCTV, visitor management, weapons detection technologies, duress systems, alarm monitoring, and security technology initiatives.
- Works collaboratively with Facilities, Engineering, Clinical Services, Information Technology, Volunteer Services, and other departments to support a secure environment of care.
- Oversees security-related aspects of parking management, key control, asset protection, infant security, morgue operations support, visitor control, and special event planning.
- Develops and implements security assessments, vulnerability analyses, and risk reduction strategies.
Emergency Management and Preparedness
- Collaborates with Emergency Management leadership to support hazard vulnerability analyses, emergency operations planning, incident command readiness, exercises, and response activities.
- Supports organizational preparedness efforts involving hurricanes, active threats, utility disruptions, mass casualty incidents, infectious disease events, and other emergencies.
- Ensures the OPSS department can effectively support Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) operations during emergencies and disasters.
Financial and Administrative Management
- Prepares and manages operational and capital budgets for assigned functions.
- Oversees staffing, scheduling, payroll administration, equipment procurement, vendor management, and contract oversight.
- Utilizes performance metrics, data analysis, and benchmarking to drive continuous improvement and operational effectiveness.
- Develops reports, presentations, executive briefings, and recommendations for senior leadership.
Personnel Leadership and Development
- Recruits, develops, mentors, and evaluates police and protective services personnel.
- Establishes a culture of professionalism, accountability, customer service, regulatory awareness, and continuous improvement.
- Ensures staff receive all required law enforcement, healthcare security, workplace violence prevention, and organizational training.
- Promotes collaborative relationships throughout the Health System and serves as a visible leadership presence.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Healthcare Administration, Emergency Management, Business Administration, or equivalent work experience required.
Experience
- Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible law enforcement, healthcare security, military police, or public safety leadership experience.
- Minimum of five (5) years of supervisory or management experience.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in a complex healthcare, governmental, or highly regulated environment preferred.
- Healthcare security or hospital police leadership experience strongly preferred but not required.
- Experience working with executive leadership, accreditation surveys, compliance programs, and emergency management initiatives preferred.
Licensure and Certifications
- Georgia POST Certification in good standing or ability to obtain as required.
- Valid Georgia driver's license.
- FEMA ICS coursework and emergency management training preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong understanding of healthcare operations and regulatory environments.
- Working knowledge of HIPAA, EMTALA, CMS, DNV, workplace violence prevention standards, and healthcare compliance principles.
- Ability to successfully navigate complex relationships among physicians, nurses, executives, patients, visitors, volunteers, regulators, and external law enforcement partners.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
- Advanced leadership, coaching, and team development abilities.
- Strong policy development and program management capabilities.
- Experience leading organizational change initiatives.
- Ability to analyze operational data and develop strategic recommendations.
- High emotional intelligence and demonstrated servant leadership.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment in highly sensitive and complex situations.
- Commitment to patient-centered care and service excellence.
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Distinguishing Characteristics of the Position
This role is not a traditional municipal Chief of Police position. While law enforcement experience is essential, success is primarily measured by the individual's ability to integrate safety, security, regulatory compliance, risk reduction, patient experience, workplace violence prevention, and healthcare operations into a unified protective services strategy.
The OPSS Chief of Police must be equally comfortable briefing executive leadership, participating in CMS, State of Georgia or DNV survey activities, collaborating with nursing leadership on patient care concerns, addressing workplace violence risks, leading emergency response operations, and managing law enforcement functions. The position requires a healthcare executive mindset in addition to strong public safety leadership capabilities.