Officials said they are opening an internal investigation into reports that armed GW Police Department officers carried firearms not registered in D.C. and received inadequate training after faculty senators pressed them for more information on the claims during a meeting Friday.
Upon repeated questions from four faculty senators about the reports, University President Ellen Granberg and Vice President for Safety and Operations Baxter Goodly said they could not comment on human resources or personnel issues for confidentiality reasons. Granberg said the reports are currently under investigation by the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Human Resource Management & Development, adding that “when the time comes,” officials will examine what information they can share.
Goodly said all GWPD guns are currently registered in D.C., which he had previously stated last week.
“I have to register a major concern here, because while I understand your point about what is the current situation, it sounds to me like there was a period of time on this campus when people were carrying around guns that were unregistered,” said Philip Wirtz, a faculty senator and a professor of decision sciences and psychological and brain sciences. “So whether or not we are currently in compliance is really not speaking to the issue that I’m concerned about.”
Wirtz asked if officials could confirm whether or not there was a period of time where GWPD Police Chief James Tate and former Captain of Operations Gabe Mullinax carried unregistered guns. Tate and Mullinax carried unregistered firearms on campus between Aug. 30 and Sept. 27, 2023, according to an HR report filed last September obtained by The Hatchet and statements from three former supervisors.
“I don’t know what the investigation will show, and so I can’t promise specifically,” Granberg said. “What I can say is, what we can share, we will.”
Jennifer Brinkerhoff, a faculty senator and professor of international affairs, said she was “distressed” about the reports and was especially concerned about the alleged lack of training considering ongoing student protests that attract demonstrators from outside of the GW community.
“I’m very sympathetic to how difficult it is to manage these situations,” Brinkerhoff said. “Nevertheless, the concern is that we have armed GWPD with insufficient training in the midst of crowds with outsiders present, especially outsiders who have threatened violence, we have a serious problem.”
In response, Granberg said she agrees the report was a “very disturbing article” that requires the University’s attention, adding that every officer who is currently armed is “fully trained” by a “reputable” outside group. Granberg did not specify which company leads the training, but former officers said they reached out to D.C. Security Associates — a group that assists District residents in navigating owning a firearm — about issues relating to gun safety.
Patricia Hernandez, a faculty senator and professor of cellular and molecular biology, said she is sponsoring a resolution on safety and accountability on campus, specifically regarding campus gun safety and during the meeting handed out the first page of the resolution with Guillermo Orti, a faculty senator and professor of biology. The 25-page resolution calls for a “thorough and independent investigation” into the quality and nature of members of the GWPD, which will be shared with the senate and the Board of Trustees.
The resolution also requests that if allegations of illegality and safety violations are found to be true in an investigation, the individuals who are responsible and the offices that oversee them be “held accountable.” Faculty senators will vote on the resolution at their next meeting on Nov. 8.
The senate passed a resolution in October 2023 calling on officials to pause the second phase of arming until officials released the full community feedback on the decision to arm officers, along with any changes to liability insurance and GWPD operational costs.
Officials paused the continuation of the plan in October after the senate passed the resolution, pushing back the second phase of implementation from September to February. Tate said in April he paused the plan because the department “didn’t want to rush things,” especially as students began regular campus demonstrations in the fall in response to the war in Gaza but said the resolution “certainly wasn’t a factor” in the delay.
Jonathan Eakle, a faculty senator and professor of curriculum and pedagogy, asked Granberg if officials have made security plans for the upcoming one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Granberg deferred the question to Goodly, who said starting Sunday, GWPD officers will be on 12-hour shifts to have more “visible and present” officers on campus.
The DMV Students for Justice in Palestine Coalition announced plans for a “week of rage” to protest the one-year mark of the war in Gaza on Friday, including a vigil on Monday and a walkout of classes on Tuesday.
He also said officials are activating their Emergency Operations Center on Monday to help manage any necessary emergency response, and they have been in touch with the Metropolitan Police Department to ensure they are aware of any issues that may “pop-up.” He said MPD confirmed they will respond “as needed.”
“I think at the moment, given that we don’t know what next week will bring, I think we are as prepared as we can be,” Goodly said. “We are certainly monitoring social media, along with the communications team and along with our local law enforcement agencies to make sure that we get any heads up that we can.”
Brinkerhoff also asked Provost Chris Bracey during his report about GW’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the wake of officials’ release of a University-wide DEI action plan late last month. She asked if officials met with members of the Diversity Program Review Team to explain why officials moved forward on certain proposals and not others, pointing to reports of faculty members’ concerns that the plan is generic and left out their suggestions.
Bracey said he will follow up with members of the team and take their feedback into account when implementing the action plan. Bracey also said parts of faculty members’ recommendations predate the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action, meaning some recommendations no longer align with current federal law, but he didn’t specify which ones.
Goodly, presenting a facilities update, said the University’s energy conservation initiative has led to less energy consumption on campus, and the University is on track to reduce energy use by 15 percent by 2026. He said one of the most significant ongoing projects is the process of replacing more than 45,000 light fixtures with LED lighting, adding that the measure will reduce utility costs by more than $700,000, with the entire conservation process expected to save GW more than $1.5 million.
Bracey said the University is aware the Service Employees International Union announced their campaign to organize the University’s graduate students, promising to advocate for benefits. Bracey said Suresh Subramaniam, the vice provost for graduate and postdoctoral affairs, sent out an email earlier this week highlighting the achievements of the office since it was created in 2022 and inviting the community to work with him to provide “additional enhancements.”
Grace Chinowsky, Sachini Adikari and Tyler Iglesias contributed reporting.
