Community Concern Reports

Community Concerns: 

The George Washington University is committed to being a good neighbor and working with members of the community to respond to complaints regarding student behavior both on-campus and off-campus. When a GW-related concern is reported by a member of the  community, the university will follow-up on the report. GW’s Police Department (GWPD) can respond to incidents that occur on property owned or leased by the university and controlled or used by GW for institutional purposes. GWPD enlists the assistance of the District’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) when police response is required outside of GWPD’s jurisdictional boundaries.

If you have a GW-related concern regarding violations of the law and/or city ordinances, contact:

In an emergency:

• Call 911 to reach MPD

In a non-emergency:

• Call GWPD’s Non-Emergency Phone Line at 202-994-6110 (Press “0” for dispatcher).
• Submit a report using the Online Report Form.
• Call GW TIPS Line: 202-994-8477 to report an anonymous confidential tip.

**Note: When calling the GW TIPS line, if you would like the university to follow-up with you, please leave your contact information.

GW provides these resources to community members as a way to communicate directly with GW’s Superintendent of Police and Office of Government and Community Relations. GW Police will refer all inquiries to appropriate GW staff who will follow up if sufficient incident details have been provided. These reporting methods should not be used in an emergency or to report an incident that is actively occurring and requires a police response.

The university publishes an annual report outlining issues and concerns as reported by community members. You will find copes of the reports posted on the Community Concerns reports page.

GWPD's Policy for Responding to Complaints Off-Campus:

If you are witnessing a life-threatening situation or an emergency involving a GW community member off campus, please call 911 to reach the Metropolitan Police Department or DC Fire and EMS as GW’s Police Department does not have jurisdiction beyond its campus boundaries.  

In an effort to manage reports of misconduct by GW students residing in non-university owned or controlled properties off-campus, GW’s Police Department and the university considers the following:

Apartment Buildings: If the concern involves noise/behavior inside an apartment and/or condo building in the neighborhood that is not owned by GW, the university will document the concern if reported through one of the reporting tools noted above. GW officials will follow-up with the building’s management and MPD if deemed necessary.

Street Noise: The District of Columbia’s Noise Control Actsets acceptable limits for sound levels.

If the concern involves noise/behavior on neighborhood streets, sidewalks or other public areas that exceed the D.C. Noise Control Act and is within the street noise response boundaries, GWPD will attempt to contact the reported offenders and make them aware of the concern. If the noise incident occurs outside of GWPD’s jurisdictional boundaries, MPD will be contacted. GWPD also maintains a policy of proactive engagement that calls for similar actions if such behavior is witnessed during patrols. If a police response is required and it is beyond GWPD’s jurisdiction, MPD will be contacted.

Off-Campus GW Property: If the issue/concern occurs in a property owned by GW, GWPD will respond to the concern and attempt to resolve the problem. If necessary, GWPD will engage MPD to resolve any incidents that occur on GW property.

GW’S Policy for Off-Campus Violations of the Code of Student Conduct:

All GW students are responsible for being good neighbors to our Foggy Bottom/West End community.

In all cases where GW students are involved in an incident that violates the Code of Student Conduct, the university will take the names of the students and will forward this information to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for action, as appropriate. All students, both on-campus and off-campus, must abide by the Code of Student Conduct. Our conduct system responds to each case individually, incorporating the degree of harm for a specific incident and the student’s past conduct record, if any. Based on the specifics of the case, the conduct process may be accelerated. When a student is found to have violated policy, the typical progression of outcomes includes the following: first violation is a warning letter, the second violation is a meeting with GW officials, including assigned educational and restorative sanctions, and the third violation would include elevated conduct action, including elevated educational and restorative sanctions.