Collins, Gregory join CUPD as lieutenants

CLEMSON — Michael Collins and Mark Gregory have joined the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) and were sworn in by Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Greg Mullen during a monthly meeting Thursday.

“We are honored to add Lt. Collins and Lt. Gregory to our department,” Mullen said. “We take the duties entrusted to us very seriously, and both of these new hires have hit the ground running as we aim to provide students, faculty, staff and guests with a safe and secure environment.”

In a short ceremony in front of CUPD’s growing team of officers and professional staff, the two lieutenants swore an oath to support and defend the constitutions of the United States of America and State of South Carolina. They also swore the law enforcement oath honor that reads as follows:

“On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the Constitution, my community and the agency I serve.”

Collins was hired as a lieutenant for special events, meaning he will coordinate major campus activities as well as oversee day-to-day operations within the investigations division. He comes to CUPD with a distinguished record as a special agent as part of the investigative services division for the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) in Greenville, South Carolina. From 2006-13, he was a uniform patrol officer, criminal investigator and SWAT team member of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

Collins earned a sociology degree from Clemson University in 2005 and earned two varsity letters as a wide receiver for the Tiger football team after transferring from the University of Tennessee.

“It’s like coming home again,” said Collins, who thought about applying initially out of school but opted to get his feet wet with other agencies first. “When Chief Mullen took over, I heard a lot of good things. I was looking to earn more of a supervisory role. This seemed like a great opportunity and I was lucky enough to be selected for the position.”

Gregory was added as a lieutenant for compliance, meaning he will focus on departmental accreditation, internal affairs and Clery Act maintenance. He comes to CUPD following a long career with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, where his highest rank was as staff sergeant. Gregory was assigned as a task force officer from 2009-11 for the FBI and from 2014-15 with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

He currently serves as a maintenance technician with the South Carolina Air National Guard and actually interviewed for the position with CUPD over Skype while on a four-month deployment to Kuwait in the fall of 2018. Gregory began his military career with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1997 to 2001 and was meritoriously promoted to both the rank of corporal and sergeant. He deployed with the 11^th Marine Expeditionary Unit on USS Peleliu.

“This place is run like a well-oiled machine,” said Gregory, whose father Jack served as Air Force ROTC instructor at Clemson from 1976-81. “And that’s certainly a credit to the great work done by Greg Mullen and the incredible team here at Clemson. It’s a great place with a great culture, and you can really sense something special happening here at CUPD.”