VALDOSTA — The police chief at Valdosta State University has been placed on paid administrative leave and replaced by an interim director.

VSU Director of Public Safety Alan Rowe was put on leave while a “third-party review” was being carried out, a university statement said Monday. The reason for the move was not addressed.

Captain Bryant Leverett with the Augusta University Police Department was named interim director, the statement said.

Unlike colleges and universities in some states, public universities in Georgia are authorized to have their own police forces, complete with arrest powers, separate from local municipal law enforcement.

After serving in the Navy, Rowe served as a patrol officer in Fort Valley and as a corporal and training officer in Ashburn.

He was named chief of police in Pavo at age 28.

In 2015, he came to VSU as the Department of Public Safety’s emergency management coordinator. Six months later, he became interim director of public safety and interim police chief at the university. He took the directorship and chief positions at VSU permanently in 2017.

Rowe holds master of science degrees in emergency management and criminal justice from Jacksonville State University and a master of public safety administration from Columbus State University.

Rowe is a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College, Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange and Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police chief executive training course. He has also served as president of the latter organization.