Allan A.C. Griffith, III is the newly appointed Chief of Police & Director of Public Safety for the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).
A proud fourth generation Washingtonian, Chief Griffith has spent his entire working life in public service beginning while still in high school as a lifeguard and water safety instructor in the D.C. Department of Recreation. In 1990, Chief Griffith joined the United States Park Police where he served for 26 years and retired as a Lieutenant. During his career with the Park Police, Chief Griffith’s operational postings included Patrol, Communications, Aviation, and the Security Detail to the Secretary of the Interior. Chief Griffith also held supervisory administrative posts at the patrol station level, as the District of Columbia Court Liaison Supervisor, as the commander of Internal Affairs, and as Executive Officer Office to the Chief of Police.
After his retirement in 2016 from the Park Police, Chief Griffith joined the Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) as a patrol sergeant. At GUPD and, subsequently, as an administrative lieutenant at the Georgetown Law Campus Department of Public Safety, Chief Griffith served in recruiting as well as coordinating of field training for new officers. At Georgetown Law, his duties were expanded to oversee staff education in emergency procedure and develop activities that promoted community understanding of how to mitigate risk and enhance preparedness. In addition to his supervisory responsibilities, Chief Griffith began a collateral role, in which he still serves, as the Professional Standards Coordinator & Drill instructor for the Campus Public Safety Institute (CPSI) of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.
In 2021, Chief Griffith accepted a position At George Washington University Police Department, (GWPD). Based on his career experience, Chief Griffith was assigned to the Special Services Unit (SSU) overseeing a team of three officers tasked with equipment and fleet management, recruitment and training, and community outreach and special events. With the resignation of the Chief of Police in October 2024 and the reassignment of the Captain of Administration to Interim Chief, Chief Griffith was designated Interim Captain of Administration, the role in which he served until his selection to the UDC position.
Chief Griffith holds numerous professional certifications including:
De-Escalation Principles & Practice; National De-Escalation Training Center (U.S. Department of Justice Grant)
IS-00240.b Leadership and Influence: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)
Crisis Intervention (CIT) Training – American University
Active Bystander for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Training – Georgetown University
Group Crisis Intervention; University of Maryland - Baltimore County (UMBC)
Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support: UMBC
Chief Griffith holds a bachelor of science degree in Organizational Management from Washington Adventist University and Master of Professional Studies degree from Georgetown University. He lives in the house in which he grew up in the Crestwood neighborhood east of Rock Creek Park in northwest Washington DC. Chief Griffith and his wife Renee have been married for 32 years and have three grown daughters, Avant, Kayla and Shelby.
