Dear GW Neighbors,
As we start the spring 2020 semester, I am happy to be settling back into life at the George Washington University. I joined GW last August as the newest associate vice president for safety and security. Most recently, I was associate vice president for university operations at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, which included managing facilities and campus safety departments, including campus police. However, I received a master of science in engineering management, with a concentration in crisis, emergency and risk management, at the School of Engineering and Applied Science here at GW in 2004, while I was also a GW police officer.
You probably already see a theme here. I am invested in the safety and security of GW and our community as a whole. I would love to inform you of the enhancements we are making within the division, as well as the campus at large.
We are creating a GWPD sub-station at 2145 G St. NW for increased visibility and 24/7 access to our services. We also have tripled our victim services resources and rebranded the team as the Office of Advocacy and Support. New staff will start in January and will occupy a specific space dedicated to their mission at 520 22nd St. NW. The Office of Advocacy and Support will include an assistant director, a support specialist and a prevention specialist. The goal is not only to improve our response to crime without delay but also to dramatically increase prevention and preparedness efforts on campus.
We are also increasing security measures within our facilities. All residence halls will now have card “tap” access controls on the front door to each room by the end of the year. Following that work, additional access control measures will be added to several high traffic buildings like the Marvin and Academic centers, as well as our large classrooms and auditoriums. These enhancements will allow us to maintain an open environment where appropriate while providing us the capability to secure campus at a moment’s notice.
Please follow @GWPolice on Twitter or go to campusadvisories.gwu.edu for the most up-to-date alerts and advisories on campus operations. You can also learn more about our division at safety.gwu.edu. We welcome your input and would be happy to talk more about any safety-related suggestions you have. Please feel free to reach out to me or Katie Fox, the assistant vice president for health and safety via email at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Scott Burnotes
Associate Vice President for Safety and Security