Safety and Emergencies

In the event of a campus emergency or if you are in danger, call the GW Police Department at 202-994-6111

As in any metropolitan area, it's important to be aware of your surroundings since our campus is located in an urban setting.

• The GW Police Department has officers on patrol 24 hours a day to ensure that our guests are protected during their stay.
• In order to keep our residents safe, we reserve the right to do periodic Health & Safety Inspections of residence halls. It is likely that an inspection will occur during your stay on campus, so please be aware of what you should not bring to campus to ensure that you will not be caught in violation of our policies. Documented violations can result in eviction from campus housing.

Fire Alarms

If a fire alarm goes off in your building, please exit the building at the closest exit and proceed across the street. Make sure you are at least 250 feet away from the entrance and await further instructions from the GW Police Department or other GW staff members.

GW Campus Advisories

Campus Advisories is the university's primary website used for communicating emergency preparedness and incident-related information to the GW community. Users can visit this site for changes in university status, adverse weather conditions, important issues concerning safety, and anything else that may disrupt normal operations.

AlertDC

This official District of Columbia communications system sends emergency alerts, notifications, and updates to your devices. This system enables the District to provide you with critical information in situations such as traffic conditions, government closures, public safety incidents and severe weather. 

University Security & Fire Safety Report 

The University Security & Fire Safety Report contains information and crime statistics for crimes that occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by GW; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible to the campus. The report also contains information regarding campus security and personal safety topics such as crime prevention, fire safety, university police law enforcement authority, crime reporting policies, disciplinary procedures and other information related to safety and security on our campuses.

GW Policies & Title IX

GW has policies which explicitly prohibit sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence, and stalking. They also explain the university’s response when someone makes a formal complaint about one of these issues. Visit the Title IX policies. 

Lost & Found

If you lose or misplace items on campus you should contact the GW Police Departments Lost and Found program.  Found items are kept for 30 days and then donated to charity.  You can increase the chances of repossessing your personal items if they are identifiably marked with the name and contact information of the owner.