• 1888- The Georgia School of Technology opens for classes; night watchmen had patrolled the campus grounds since the school's inception
  • mid-1940s​ - The Security Department is formalized with the hiring of a second officer
  • 1953 - 8 officers; all officers are former employees of Atlanta Police Department
  • 1963 - 19 officers; Oversight of the Security Department is transferred to the Controller’s Office; equipment and vehicle improvements have greatly increased officers’ capabilities
  • 1972 - 28 officers; The Security Department is renamed the Georgia Tech Police Department under the Georgia Board of Regents
  • 1974 - 32 officers; GTPD’s first female officer, Officer Mary Manning, hired; all GTPD officers are certified peace officers under the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST)
  • 1977 - GTPD is officially recognized by Georgia POST
  • 1986 - End of watch for Sergeant Gary Beringause
  • 1994 - 38 officers; bicycle unit is instituted; GTPD begins federally-mandated crime reporting
  • 2003 - K-9 unit established. Officers and their canine companions patrol campus and answer calls.
  • 2013 - GTPD CALEA Accreditation received as only the third university in the State of Georgia to achieve Law Enforcement Agency accreditation
  • 2016 - Social Media Center program began, staffed with 1 student Social Media Reporter and 1 full-time officer
  • 2016 - 84 officers; community relations and engagement is at an all-time high
  • 2019 - GTPD relocates to a newly designed police building at 965 Hemphill Avenue NW, Atlanta; all divisions are located under a single roof.
  • 2019 - Forensics Unit was opened with two certified forensic specialists on staff, providing select services to contribute to solving crimes in the University System of Georgia schools, among other agencies. 
  • 2020 - End of watch for Investigator James Cornacchia
  • 2021 - Digital Intelligence Unit formed to support evidence-gathering of the Criminal Investigation Division, including camera footage and open source social media
  • 2022 - GTPD Operations Center received CALEA Accreditation as the first Operations Center university communications center/dispatch to be nationally accredited in the State of Georgia.