Michael Lighthiser

Deputy Chief Michael Lighthiser commands the Special Operations, Research and Training Division of the George Mason University Police Department. He has commanded the department’s Uncrewed Aerial Systems Unit since its inception in January of 2018 and is the chair of the Northern Virginia Emergency Response System (NVERS) UAS working group. As commander of the GMUPD UAS Unit, he has overseen operations with the United State Coast Guard, United State Marshals Service, numerous public safety missions in the region including coordinating the UAS operations during the 2022 Marine Corps Marathon and established a Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.