With Security High for Trump Inauguration, Campus Prepares

Hordes of Donald Trump supporters and protesters will be in the area for Inauguration Day.

George Washington University’s Foggy Bottom campus will be dealing with a variety of changes for the Inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump Friday.

Transportation limitations, visitor management and other general security restrictions will be undertaken to deal with the expected crowds, reports GW Today.

GWU Senior Associate Vice President for Safety and Security Darrell Darnell is advising students to travel in groups, report suspicious activity and to seek shelter indoors if an emergency or inclement weather occurs.

Transportation restrictions will prevent vehicles from driving onto campus Friday and many surrounding roads will be closed. Designated campus entrances will be guarded by university police in conjunction with the National Guard and other law enforcement agencies.

Campus buildings will close early on Thursday and remain closed Friday and staff members will be required to show their ID cards to enter campus.

Students are also being urged to put the GW Police Department contact information into their phones before Inauguration Day as a safety precaution.

The majority of GWU’s Foggy Bottom campus is within the outer security perimeter the U.S. Secret Service created for the inauguration (pictured below this article).

The president-elect will be sworn in at the Capitol and the inaugural parade will end at the White House. There will also be a concert held at the Lincoln Memorial the day before the event, and a Women’s March on DC is scheduled for the day after (Jan. 21).

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More than 700,000 people are expected to attend the ceremonies, although Darnell said the school is not taking any unique approaches for this inauguration compared to in years past. The University Police Department will operate on its usual 24-hour schedule, and extra security will assist with crowd control on and around campus.

GWU officials are working with agencies including the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service

Darnell told The GW Hatchet that no protesters have requested to demonstrate on the campus, but that students and non-students would be allowed to do so.

“As long as individuals walking through our campus are conducting themselves in a peaceful manner, we will take no action,” Darnell said.

Formal protest permits must be approved by the MPD and the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday that 99 organizations intend to demonstrate around the event.

Fortifications will be placed around the perimeter of the parade and ceremony to protect against vehicle attacks.

“This year in particular the hard vehicle perimeter will be heavily fortified by trucks, dumpsters, buses and the like given the current threat environment,” Secretary Johnson said.

MPD interim Chief Peter Newsham says the department is aware of social media threats against the president-elect and threats to stop the inauguration.

Approximately 3,000 additional police officers from around the country will be in D.C. for Inauguration Day.

GWU Foggy Bottom

GWU’s Foggy Bottom Campus is in the northwestern part of the restricted area.

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