Effective Sept. 1, CSU’s Assistant Chief of Police Laura Bennett will serve as the interim chief of CSU’s police department, following the retirement of Chief Mark Lott. Bennett is a veteran officer with more than 31 years in law enforcement experience in the University System of Georgia.

Bennett has served as assistant chief of CSU’s Police Department since 2017. Prior to her position at CSU, she served as a Lieutenant in the University of West Georgia Police Department. In 2006, she was selected as the first officer from a university police department to the FBI’s Police Executive Law Enforcement Fellowship. Bennett was also sworn in as a U.S. Federal Marshall with oversight of the Regional 1 Field Information Group.

Bennett received her master’s degree in public safety administration from CSU’s Command College, and is a graduate of the University of Louisville Southern Police Institute’s administrative officer’s course. She is also a graduate of the University of West Georgia, with a degree in criminology, and has earned certifications in numerous areas including management, supervision, training, defensive tactics instruction, and health and wellness.