As incoming GW freshmen and their parents visit campus for Colonial Inauguration this summer, some of the most common questions—from the parents, at least—involve campus safety. That’s where Elyas Malik, the GW Police Department’s new manager of safety and security, comes in.
Mr. Malik has spent his entire career in campus policing. He worked at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey for 25 years, most recently as deputy chief of police, before coming to GW in May. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Seton Hall University and a master’s degree in administrative sciences from Fairleigh Dickenson University. He is also a graduate of the certified public manager program at Rutgers University and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.
Mr. Malik spoke with GW Today about his work for the coming academic year, the new technological upgrades that will benefit campus safety, and the advice he gives his own children—two of whom are college students—about staying safe.
Q: What are the areas that you’re responsible for at GW?
A: It’s the technical end of security: card access systems, closed-circuit TV, emergency blue phones, panic buttons—anything that has to do with electronics and that enhances the physical security of the school. We’re at the forefront of technology at GW. We have a very good system and are trying to make it better. I’m also involved with the 4-Ride program, a safe ride home program operating from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. seven days a week. Last year, we serviced about 110,000 calls. It’s very well-used, and it keeps our students protected. And we’re implementing new technology for the system.
Q: What will that new technology do?
A: It’s called Navman. Students will be able to text, e-mail or SMS for a ride. Now students just can call on the phone. Some of the calls are dropped and we can’t get to [the students]. We’re also adding an app for smartphones so students can see where the ride cars are throughout campus. We’re working on that for the fall. The hardware is already installed in the cars—they have the screens and the navigation systems. The goal is to make it run by mid-August. There are a lot of stakeholders involved—IT and many other departments. But it will really streamline the [ride] process and provide excellent customer service.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: We’re working to get the public address system and the blue emergency phones upgraded so they can be used for mass notifications. We don’t have loudspeakers all over campus—in some buildings we do, and in some we don’t. The new system will use a combination of the loudspeakers and the blue-light phones—in addition to the campus e-mail alerts—so we can make people aware of what is going on. Someone walking around campus will be able to hear alerts over the PA system. We can also send the alerts to a cellphone. We’re looking at vendors right now.
We’ll need to upgrade the blue phones a few at a time. In the new system, we’ll have a camera mounted on top of each phone, so we’ll be able to see what the situation is. The officer responding to the situation will have information before he or she even gets there. We’re also going to be doing physical security surveys of the buildings and parking decks to determine where we are vulnerable and where we can apply police personnel.
Q: How many closed-circuit TV cameras there are on campus?
A: There are about 2,000. They’re inside campus buildings at this point, and our leadership is working on adding a broader range of closed-circuit TVs for external views of the perimeter of campus. The CCTVs are a great tool for solving crimes, and they also discourage people from committing crimes.
Q: Is property theft still the most common crime on campus?
A: It is. There are approximately 500 thefts and burglaries reported on campus on an annual basis. We’re working on it from two angles: technology and crime prevention through training and education. For the education, for example, we had a booth set up at CI with information for students and parents. For the technology, we’re looking at ways to prevent crime—it could be as simple as access control or monitoring. The CCTVs are a deterrent, and they help us close some cases.
Q: Are the blue-light phones effective?
A: We have 38 blue-light phones located throughout the campus. We had about 160 calls since January, but the majority of them were pranks. Once we have the cameras [on top of the phones], it will help eliminate false alarms, because it will give you a live picture and location. Even if it isn’t an emergency [when a light is activated], if a student were in a situation where he or she were impaired, we’d give the student a safe ride home. That’s our main goal—to keep students safe.
Q: What crime- or safety-related mistake do you see students making the most often?
A: It’s leaving books and laptops unattended, even momentarily. It invites crimes of opportunity as people are walking by. I think my kids do the same thing.
Q: What safety advice do you have for students?
A: They should program the police department emergency number (202-994-6111) into their cell phones or mobile devices, so they don’t have to look for the number. If they have a question, if they’re anywhere in the city, they can call us 24 hours a day. I don’t want to sound too much like a father, but my advice for students is to be safe, study hard and don’t forget why you’re here. And help us to achieve safety and security. It’s a combined effort. If you see something, say something. And if a roommate sees something, like another student who seems to need help, say something to someone—get some help.