George Washington Police Department Officer James S. Robinson, a 13-year member of the force, died Thursday of natural causes. He was 57.
Officer Robinson joined the GW Police Department in 2000. For two years he patrolled campus as a police officer but, thanks to an affinity for technology, was quickly selected as coordinator for safety and security, in which he was responsible for monitoring closed-circuit TV cameras, fire and duress alarms and other security infrastructure.
Officer Robinson also conducted fire drills on all of GW’s residence halls each semester, helped plan security counter-measures for new facilities and assisted with designing and installing new equipment.
“James Robinson worked for over a decade, helping to build the physical security infrastructure of this university,” Chief of Police Kevin Hay said. “So he leaves an important legacy. All the blue lights, alarms, panic buttons and CCTV cameras that he helped test, install and maintain will still be functioning for years to come. He was a dedicated employee, and he will be missed.”
Before he joined GW, Officer Robinson served as a military police officer for four years, with a deployment to Korea, and worked for several security firms in the D.C. area.