Tactical team, drones and K-9s among additions to campus safety

George Mason University’s Department of Police and Public Security has added a variety of initiatives to ensure the safety of the campus community.

In the past months, the department has added a tactical Special Response Team of specially trained officers who would respond to active threat situations, as well as help the community react to such incidents, said Chief Carl Rowan. The six officers on the team will be joined by three more in the coming months, with a goal of growing the team to 12, he said.

Also new to the force are Sharu and Titan, Mason’s first K-9 teams since last year’s retirement of Lucy, the English springer spaniel that was Mason’s first bomb, firearm and ammunition detecting dog. The German shepherds, which are trained in bomb and drug detection and apprehension skills, will be joined by a third dog, Kavik, when it completes its 17-week training course in April.

Rowan noted that Mason is one of only three police departments in the region—along with the Stafford and Loudoun sheriffs’ offices—to have drones available, primarily as search and rescue devices.

“Those are cutting-edge law enforcement tools,” he said. “Five to 10 years from now, every police department will have them. I’m very happy we’re on the forefront of that technology.”

A drone could also be used to investigate a dangerous situation inside large facilities like the Johnson Center or EagleBank Arena, for instance, Rowan said.

“We could fly a drone into the building and look for where the problem is, and we can respond to it safely,” he said.

Body cameras for officers on duty should be in use sometime this summer, Rowan said.

“The officers are enthusiastic about that,” he added.

“We are reacting to the realities of the world around us,” Rowan said. “Our problems are not with the students, it’s outsiders who want to come into our city of 37,000 and do bad things that put us at risk.

“We have to adjust our tactics and equipment, and our mission to deal with them.”

The police department operates on a budget of about $6.4 million, Rowan said, and has nearly 60 sworn offices and another 40 civilians on the staff.

There also are 30 police vehicles boasting new black-and-white-accented wraps and graphics that increase their visibility, Rowan said.

Campus police can be contacted in emergencies on Mason’s three Northern Virginia campuses by dialing 911. For non-emergencies call 703-993-2810; TDD/TTY, 703-993-2810 or 703-993-2817. To report a crime, call 703-993-4111.