A woman standing between to VCU Police Officers on a sidewalk next to a park.
Two VCU Police Department officers speak with a student on the Monroe Park Campus. The department is undergoing its third accreditation process in January 2023. (Tom Kojcsich, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Jan. 17, 2023

Assessment team for re-accreditation of VCU Police invites public to comment

Feedback can be provided in person or on the phone during scheduled hours on Jan. 23. Email comments are welcome through Jan. 24.

Share this story

By Corey Byers

Virginia Commonwealth University Police Chief John Venuti announced today that a team of assessors from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) will arrive in Richmond on Jan. 21 to examine all aspects of the VCU Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services.

“The agency has been accredited twice before, and we’re looking forward to showing the assessors how we’re meeting IACLEA’s state-of-the-art standards,” Venuti said. “This is a voluntary process on our part, and it shows the community that we strive to provide the highest levels of professional excellence in policing.”

University members, agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments on Jan. 23. Comments must address the department’s ability to comply with IACLEA’s standards. For additional information on IACLEA standards, visit www.iaclea.org/standards.

In-person feedback is welcome between 11 a.m. and noon at VCU Police headquarters, 224 E. Broad St. (Academy Room 2202a). Call-in comments are welcome between noon and 12:30 p.m.; community members can call (804) 828-0439.

The assessment team will take all comments.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the VCU Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may email them by Jan. 24 to: jumurphy@iaclea.org.

“To earn accreditation again, the department will have to show compliance with more than 200 professional standards,” Venuti said.

The assessment team is composed of experienced campus law enforcement professionals from out of state. The assessors will review written materials, interview staff members and inspect facilities where they can witness compliance.

The 2023 IACLEA assessors are Charles L. Simpson Jr., team leader and the associate vice president of police and public safety at St. Augustine’s University, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Regina Davis of the Georgia State University Police Department in Atlanta, Georgia.

The accreditation manager for VCU Police is Catherine Tellez, the department’s manager for compliance and records.

“Assessors will complete their thorough review of the department and report their findings to IACLEA, which will decide whether VCU Police is re-accredited,” Venuti said.

Accreditation is for four years, during which the department must submit annual reports attesting to continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.