Police and Public Safety

Sit! Stay! Buzz?

Jennifer Pocock — Thu, 29 May 2025 14:56:51 +0000

Sit! Stay! Buzz? Jennifer Pocock Thu, 05/29/2025 - 10:56

These �鶹��Ƶ students are short-circuiting voice commands, dog whistles, and clickers.

Covert Dog Comms Team Leader Paul J. Wyche displays their finished prototype at the Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) Celebration. Photo by John Boal

If you’ve had a puppy, you probably know the patience it takes to train them in basic commands, and it can be a noisy affair involving begging, pleading, and some yelling. Working dogs like those in police and military K9 units need to learn so much more.

Sometimes, they need to obey without hearing a word.

Rescue situations can be chaotic, with so much going on that a command gets lost in the noise. Sometimes, a team of dogs need to hear many different commands, and competing voices are confusing. Other times, operation teams need to go radio silent and any noise at all will give their positions away.

Enter Team Covert Dog Comms. This pack of cybersecurity seniors at George �鶹��Ƶ, all of whom graduated in May, sniffed out a way to direct dogs without barking commands.

Together, they became the dream team that was the envy of anyone who has ever worked on a bad group project—and proof that great leadership combined with a passionate team yields amazing results.

“Working with this team has been a very positive experience. One key factor that made it successful was the balance of specialized skill sets,” said team leader Paul J. Wyche, who also recently spoke at his College of Engineering and Computing graduation. “While some of our backgrounds overlapped, each team member had a distinct area of expertise, allowing us to overcome any obstacle and collaborate effectively.”

Those members were Maxime Bonnaud, who specialized in the vest’s wireless and cryptographic security; Jonathan Perry, who designed the hardware; and AJ Hoepfner, who set up testing standards and regulations, along with assisting Wyche with project management.

“Mostly, what made this team great was good execution on the fundamentals,” said Bonnaud. “Everyone showed up, communicated well, and looked for areas they could work on instead of having to be assigned work.”

The end result was a securely encrypted working prototype of a vest that can be programmed with three different vibrating pattern commands that a dog can be trained to obey. While they were unable to find a working dog to test on, the team tested the vest on themselves and found it to work as intended.

When asked whether the team planned to patent or commercialize the vest, Wyche said that they wouldn’t rule it out. “We haven’t formally discussed commercializing the project. However, if the opportunity arises and we receive the necessary support, we may explore those possibilities.”

Until then, they achieved their goal of making “a fully operational haptic vest that could be refined for real-world use in special operations.”

And that is something to howl about.

Topics

Senior Capstone Project

Cybersecurity

Military

Police and Public Safety

George �鶹��Ƶ Police help emergency efforts and assess storm damage from Hurricane Helene

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 15:17:31 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ Police help emergency efforts and assess storm damage from Hurricane Helene Lauren Reuscher Thu, 10/03/2024 - 11:17

�鶹��Ƶ Police’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) teams supported the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) deployment to Appalachian Power in Ivanhoe, Virginia, over the weekend. The primary mission at Ivanhoe—between Carroll and Wythe counties—was to inspect two dams, built in 1912 and 1913, as well as the power distribution lines affiliated with them.

Record precipitation and the effects of Hurricane Helene caused the second highest water level and flow on the New River since 1940, exceeding the design basis for the dams. The power lines are difficult to access from the ground, but the �鶹��Ƶ Police drones flew above and across mountains, following the power lines so that engineers could watch the livestream and assess possible damage.

The drone deployment by �鶹��Ƶ Police helped Appalachian Power ensure the integrity of the facilities more safely and efficiently.

“This storm has impacted all Virginians, and �鶹��Ƶ is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand,” said Michael Lighthiser, the deputy chief who oversees �鶹��Ƶ Police’s Special Operations, Research and Training Unit. “We have some very special capabilities, and we are proud to be able to help our fellow Virginians to safely get back on their feet in the aftermath of such a devastating storm. It’s the right thing to do.”

George �鶹��Ƶ Police Corporal Blaine Ries (left) delivered a Starlink satellite internet system to the Asheville Police Department to help restore communications to their headquarters after the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Photo provided

After returning from the drone mission, �鶹��Ƶ Police answered another call for assistance from the path of Hurricane Helene. With all communications service lost in Asheville, North Carolina, after devastating and deadly flooding, the Asheville Police Department requested a Starlink system to restore cell and internet service at their headquarters. The �鶹��Ƶ Police have Starlink systems available, which provide high-speed satellite internet access.

�鶹��Ƶ Police Corporal Blaine Ries hurried into his Starlink-equipped drone truck and headed to Asheville. To get there, he needed to drive through Tennessee and approach from the south in order to avoid the worst of the devastating storm damage. Arriving shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Oct. 1, he quickly set up the Starlink, giving the Asheville police the communication access needed to coordinate their rescue and emergency management activities.

George �鶹��Ƶ Police’s drone teams have been an important resource for other jurisdictions, providing aerial support and training to other agencies. In late July, at the request of the Virginia Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, �鶹��Ƶ Police taught a weeklong drone class to more than 20 police and fire department agencies in southwest Virginia to help them start the process of launching drone teams.

“I am very proud that the 12 members of our UAS team are always ready and willing to deploy, at a moment’s notice, anytime their unique capabilities are needed to enhance the public safety of our community and beyond,” said Carl Rowan, George �鶹��Ƶ chief of police.

�鶹��Ƶ Police includes more than 135 full and part-time personnel including more than 50 sworn police officers who provide services to the Fairfax, �鶹��Ƶ Square, and SciTech campuses. The department maintains a close working relationship with the Virginia State Police and the police departments of the City of Fairfax, Arlington, Fairfax County, and Prince William County.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Campus News

Department of Police and Public Safety

Police and Public Safety

Emergency Management

Unmanned Aerial Systems drones

Drones

The wheels on the bus go round and round, thanks to �鶹��Ƶ’s transit drivers

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 13:26:27 +0000

The wheels on the bus go round and round, thanks to �鶹��Ƶ’s transit drivers Lauren Reuscher Thu, 03/21/2024 - 09:26

Catch a �鶹��Ƶ Shuttle

Topics

Around �鶹��Ƶ (E-Files)

Faculty and Staff News

Picture This

Parking and Transportation

Child Development Center

Police and Public Safety

�鶹��Ƶ Shuttles

Campus News

To mark Transit Driver Appreciation Day, the �鶹��Ƶ community expressed gratitude for the public transit drivers who help the �鶹��Ƶ Nation get to school, work, and around town.