By Clare Aman

Director of Campus Safety and Security Scott Fulkerson. Photo courtesy of Collegiate School.

“Just when you think you’ve figured something out, there’s something new that’s come on the horizon,” said Collegiate’s new Director of Campus Safety and Security Scott Fulkerson in an interview with The Match, regarding the ever-changing technology in the 21st century. 

Growing up in Rochester, New York, Fulkerson attended Webster High School. He played basketball there for four years and then went on to play Division III basketball at Geneseo (NY) State for another four years. He developed a deep love for the sport and knew that he wanted to continue to coach and be involved in the basketball world after college. Fulkerson said, “I enjoyed that environment.” 

After earning a degree in psychology at Geneseo, he pursued his Master’s in Public Administration at Brockport (NY) State. In college, his first job in law enforcement was at the Monroe County Juvenile Detention Center near Rochester, New York. His interest in law enforcement stemmed from his love of the teamwork aspect of athletics. Fulkerson said, “What law enforcement provides me with is that continuous teamwork that I was always involved with in athletics.” 

Shortly after earning his Master’s, Fulkerson became a parole officer in Brooklyn, New York at the Probation Office for three years before becoming a Special Agent at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF), where he worked for nearly 25 years. During his time with ATF, Fulkerson was located in New York City; Baltimore, Maryland; Fort Walker, Virginia; and Huntsville, Alabama, before settling in Richmond. There, he supervised and ran the Criminal Enforcement Unit for seven years. Following his work at ATF, Fulkerson was Vice President of Operations at the United States Bomb Technician Association in Maryland, where he used his knowledge and skills of bomb disposal before finally entering his role at Collegiate this summer. 

His long and diverse history in law enforcement allowed Fulkerson to have a wide range of experiences that prepared him for this role. He has lots of experience in crisis management for large-scale events. He has helped assist and plan three Super Bowls, both a Republican National Convention and a Democratic National Convention, and the inaugurations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. His expertise in explosives was crucial to the investigation of the bombings of the Boston Marathon in 2013. Fulkerson was part of the team that determined how the explosives went off and identified suspects in the catastrophic event. He described his feelings about this experience as “one of those moments that is very tragic and horrific, but you’re also very proud of the fact that you can help stop that from happening in the future.” He was also part of the team that identified and apprehended the “Beltway Snipers” that terrified Maryland, DC, and Virginia residents in 2002. 

This field of work requires employees to keep their composure in times of stress and uncertainty. Fulkerson expressed his understanding of how the chemical balance in your body changes when you go through stress and trauma. He is able to deal with this by falling back on his prior preparation and training on the job to get through the intensity of these moments. Fulkerson reflected on this, saying that, in unprecedented times, “you’ll compartmentalize because you know you have a job and a task to accomplish, and you focus on that.” Fulkerson’s background gives him the knowledge and experience to handle many of the challenges that schools face today.

He described his responsibilities at Collegiate by saying, “We try to provide the most secure physical environment” at school. The security team aims to create a place where students feel safe and comfortable, without it feeling like a prison. Technology plays an important role in this by applying a “layered approach” to security. “With technology, you can multiply and offset some of the things that physical security might not be able to provide you,” said Fulkerson. It is also crucial that the team keeps up with the new technological advances that are becoming standard across the nation. 

A security camera outside of the Hershey Center. Photo credit: Hudson Avery.

Recently, new finger scanners have been implemented at every exterior door on campus. These allow only people who are entered into the system to have access to buildings at school. Technology like this does not take the jobs of security officers but enhances the capabilities of the security team. These scanners minimize the threat of unknown individuals entering buildings without the need for people to constantly be monitoring the doors. By doing this, Collegiate is able to make sure they are using technology in the most efficient way possible. 

At Collegiate specifically, the security staff has procedures in place to ensure that we are always prepared for emergencies. Fulkerson stressed the importance of practicing drills and being ready for threats. Lock down, lock out, and evacuation drills are a few examples of the types of procedures that Collegiate students and staff should understand and be able to execute in the case of an emergency. “The more you practice, it becomes natural for you,” Fulkerson said. Having a plan and repeating those actions multiple times allows for less concern and stress in the case of a real threat. 

Violence in schools is an issue that students and faculty should all recognize and be aware of. “We go from having a six-person security staff, to now we have almost 2000 people,” Fulkerson said as he conveyed the significance of everyone in the Collegiate community being vigilant. The phrase “If you see something, say something” applies every day. It is crucial that if students or teachers see anything suspicious on campus, they alert an administrator or security staff member. 

Students and faculty are aware of police officers that are located at various spots around campus during the day. “We have a great relationship with our Henrico County Police Department,” Fulkerson stated. The presence of officers physically on campus is important so that students can see them actively protecting our community. Whether these officers are directing traffic, driving around campus, or stopping by the café for a cup of coffee, they are visible to everyone at Collegiate. 

There is no doubt that Fulkerson has been a part of some transformative events in his career. He values being part of a team and gaining friendships along the way. “I’m proud of the people I’ve worked with and the moments that we’ve had together,” he said. Learning how to problem solve and face adversity has been a joy for him. He is glad to have gotten to know so many different people from diverse backgrounds through his long career in law enforcement, discovering his true passion of “making the environment safer for others.”