GW Police Department Chief James Tate is on leave effective Friday after officials hired a third-party firm to investigate the department’s arming implementation process.
GWPD Captain of Administration Ian Greenlee will serve as interim chief in Tate’s absence, according to an email sent Friday morning by Vice President for Safety and Operations Baxter Goodly to GWPD officers obtained by The Hatchet. Officials also hired a third-party firm to investigate GWPD’s existing training protocols and safety and compliance measures taken by department personnel during the arming process, as well as “several new questions” raised to officials “recently” about the department, Goodly said in an email Wednesday.
The two announcements come after former GWPD officers in late September reported gun safety violations, insufficient firearm training and a poor working environment that led to high turnover within the department in the past year. Tate and Former Captain of Operations Gabe Mullinax allegedly carried firearms on campus that were unregistered in D.C. from Aug. 30 to Sept. 27, 2023, and Tate “routinely” stored his loaded firearm in the GWPD armory, according to former officers and human resources reports.
University spokesperson Julia Metjian confirmed that Tate is on leave and that Greenlee will serve as acting chief in his absence. She declined to comment on who made the decision to place Tate on leave, why the decision was made and how long he will be on leave.
She also declined to comment on whether officials made the decision in light of the third-party firm’s ongoing investigation.
“This firm will also conduct a review of existing training protocols, which meet the District of Columbia’s standards for police officers, in the interest of strengthening and continually improving the preparedness of our police force,” Goodly said in a response to a request for comment earlier this week on how the University handled HR reports filed by former officers.
Goodly said in the Wednesday email that the University “investigated, addressed and resolved” prior complaints “raised” during the first phase of arming, before officials shifted to phase two in February. Officials armed Tate and Mullinax in August 2023 at the start of the first phase of arming and completed the third and final phase last month, which officials said would arm 22 officers, pending filling vacancies. Ryan Monteiro, a former sergeant, said in September that about six or seven officers are currently armed due to the turnover.
The Board of Trustees in April 2023 decided to arm some GWPD officers to respond to campus emergencies, a decision met with student protest, a letter of opposition from faculty and a Faculty Senate resolution. The Faculty Senate in October 2023 passed a resolution at the end of the first phase of arming, demanding the University halt the second phase until officials publicize data and community feedback on the decision. The department delayed phase two until February, but Tate in April said the resolution “certainly wasn’t a factor” in his decision to pause implementation.
The Faculty Senate earlier this month probed University President Ellen Granberg, Goodly and other officials about the former officers’ reports of safety violations. In response, officials said they could not comment on HR or personnel issues, but said the University is launching an internal investigation into the reports.
