(Forsyth County, GA) The Cumming Police Department now has a new leader after Sergeant P.J. Girvan was appointed as the new police chief by the Cumming City Council during a special called meeting on the morning of Wednesday, June 28.
Girvan replaces former Police Chief David Marsh, who had held the position since 2019.
The new police chief said the appointment is a “dream come true” for him.
“The City of Cumming is really special to me, I'm from here, I played basketball at Dobbs Creek Park as a kid and I used to swim in the old city park pool when they still had that,” Girvan said. “I’ve lived here all my life, my family's here, all my friends are here, my kids are going to grow up around here, so it's just more than just a chief position to me.”
Girvan comes from a family of law enforcement, with both parents having over 30 years of law enforcement experience working for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and the Sandy Springs Police Department. His mom even came out of retirement and works as a civilian detective.
Girvan himself also has an extensive background in the field:
- U.S. Army Reserve, Atlanta: Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Specialist from 2010 to 2016
- City of Atlanta Police Department: Uniform Patrol from 2012 to 2014
- City of Atlanta Police Department: Atlanta Proactive Enforcement and Interaction (APEX) Unit from 2014 to 2016
- City of Atlanta Police Department: Executive Protection from 2016 to 2017
- Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office: Uniform Patrol from May 2017 to April 2018
- Johns Creek-Alpharetta-Forsyth County Drug Task Force (Narcotics Detective) from 2018 to 2020
- Cumming Police Department: Peace Officer from February 24, 2020, to September 4, 2020
- Cumming Police Department: Sergeant from September 5, 2022, to June 27, 2023
- Cumming Police Department: Chief since June 28, 2023
He is also trained in homicide investigations, advanced vice and narcotics investigations, instructor-certified, advanced search warrants and affidavits, and interviews and interrogations.
There are two main goals Girvan wants the department to work towards as police chief, tackling staffing shortages and bettering community outreach.
“I feel like we can do a little bit better of a job at community policing, getting out there with community events like ‘coffee with a cop’ or something like that,” Girvan said. “I’d like for a lot of the residents to know some of these officers by name and feel comfortable and the kids to get a good relationship with my officers and I just think the number one thing I want to change is getting more community policing involved.”
Community policing to him means the department being more active on social media to let residents know what the department is up to, connecting with businesses by giving the owners his personal number to set up events like “coffee with a cop” or for officers to just hang out at the Cumming City Center during cornhole games to meet more people and answer any questions they may have.
Getting involved in community fundraisers for local non-profits is another goal. Creative Enterprises specifically is one Girvan has a personal connection to that is “close to his heart.”
He hopes to fill the department’s three open positions by the end of the summer. While it may not seem like a huge staffing gap, Grivan said those positions are very important for a police department their size.
Girvan said he and the former chief are friends and that he holds a lot of respect for him.
City Administrator Phil Higgins also told NewsBreak after the special called meeting that while former Police Chief David Marsh is a “good man,” there were some “management issues” with his leadership and “a change was needed.”
Mayor Troy Brumbalow and City Council Member Linda Ledbetter also made statements on the situation. Their comments can be read in the article, “Cumming mayor on replacing police chief: City confident ‘change was needed.’”
In the meantime, Girvan said he plans to do the best he can to make the Cumming Police Department the best in the nation.
For more information on the Cumming Police Department, visit cummingpd.net.
If you have a news tip in Forsyth County, contact Justine Lookenott at justine.lookenott@newsbreak.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @justalookenott.
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