by Isaiah Smart

VSUPD Major Ann Farmer was named the vice president of the Atlanta Southeast chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals on Sept. 1.

Farmer has been a member of ATAP for three years and is in the first phase of a two-year term as vice president.

The ATAP was founded in 1992, and was created by the LAPD Threat Management Unit as a nonprofit organization committed to learning more about the best ways to protect victims of harassment, stalking and threat situations.

ATAP is made up of corporate security experts, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, prosecutors and others with the mission to give members a professional and educational environment for the exchange of experience and assessment and intervention techniques.

Farmer also serves as assistant director for the VSUPD under Scott Doner and chairwoman of VSU’s Behavior Intervention Team.

A graduate of Georgia State University, Farmer has served VSU since 1997. She views it as a great honor to represent VSU at this level.

“I was very surprised,” Farmer said.

The majority of ATAP is based in metro-Atlanta; Farmer will represent South Georgia as VP. Along with the VP role Farmer hopes to “be able to increase… membership in the Southeast portion especially in [southern] Georgia and northern Florida.”

Farmer also teaches campus safety courses for faculty.

“We offer a lot of crime prevention programs including active shooter classes and work-place violence classes,” Farmer said. “Those classes are mainly for information and awareness. I would really to see more faculty involvement with that.”

Farmer’s favorite part of law enforcement is being able to assist people in and out of law issues.

She welcomes students to get familiar with the university police department located in Oak Parking Deck.