About the W&M Police

Role of W&M Police Department

William & Mary Police officers are fully certified law enforcement officers with the same training, authority, and powers of arrest as all police officers in Virginia. The department provides comprehensive police, public safety, emergency communications, and emergency management services to the university community.

Services include 24/7 police patrol, criminal investigations, crime prevention programs, critical incident response, security technology management, emergency communications, victim and witness support, and safety education programs for students and employees.

The department's approach is grounded in the unique needs of a higher education environment. Its mission is to protect people and property while supporting the university's academic, research, and community-focused mission.

Core Responsibilities

The William & Mary Police Department is committed to:

• Protecting lives, property, and constitutional rights.
• Maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment.
• Enforcing laws fairly, impartially, and professionally.
• Fostering a campus culture where individuals feel safe and secure.
• Building strong partnerships across the university and surrounding community.
• Balancing education, prevention, problem-solving, service, and enforcement.
• Meeting all applicable standards established by state and federal regulatory agencies.

Policing Philosophy 

The department's public safety strategy is guided by several key principles:

• Community Policing: Building relationships, solving problems collaboratively, and emphasizing prevention over enforcement whenever appropriate.
• Problem Solving: Addressing underlying causes of issues to achieve long-term safety improvements.
• Broad-Based Officer Training: Preparing officers to serve as educators, communicators, problem-solvers, and law enforcement professionals.
• Security Technology: Leveraging access control systems, surveillance cameras, emergency communications systems, and other technologies to enhance campus safety.
• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): Working with campus partners to improve lighting, visibility, traffic flow, and other environmental factors that contribute to safety.
• Strategic Resource Deployment: Using data, crime trends, and campus activity information to allocate police and security resources effectively.
• Shared Responsibility for Safety: Encouraging all community members to participate in creating a safe and secure campus environment.
• Emergency Preparedness: Supporting the university's all-hazards emergency planning, training, and response capabilities.
• Regional Collaboration: Maintaining strong partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to address crime and emergency situations effectively.

Together, these efforts help create a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment where students, faculty, staff, and visitors can learn, work, and thrive.