VCU news

By Jake Burns
VCU Police

In January 2010, two weeks into the job as the new chief of police at Virginia Commonwealth University, John Venuti found himself in a conversation with a woman at VCU Medical Center that would provide the philosophical direction for his leadership over the next 15 years.

The conversation played out like so many during his 40 years as a law enforcement officer in Richmond – a run that will soon end as Clarence T. Hunter Jr. takes over as the new chief of police on Feb. 10.

Walking through the emergency department, the woman began speaking with Venuti about her experience as the victim of a robbery, recounting with great detail the attack and the emotions it evoked.

Venuti’s head spun; there had not been an incident like that since he had started at VCU.

“The way she spoke about it made it seem like this happened the day before,” Venuti said. “Turns out, the robbery happened in 2001 or something. The way she felt about it remained fresh.”

Fifteen years later, it is Venuti who recalls the moment in great detail. The lesson: An individual’s perception about their safety is powerful.

As chief of police, Venuti’s north star was engaging the VCU community on issues of public safety, how his department could help and the role everyone plays in the process.

For the past 12 years, the annual VCU perception of safety survey – which Venuti initiated  – has consistently shown more than 90% of community members feel safe or very safe on campus (92% in 2024).

“What we do here within VCU public safety is clear; we’re here to make VCU a safer place,” Venuti said. “Everybody can contribute. Nothing is simpler than that, and I know that is going to continue.”

A move ‘outside the tape’

In February, Venuti will step down as the chief of police at VCU and assume his role as the associate vice president for public safety at VCU and VCU Health in a full-time capacity (he has been doing both jobs since 2018).

That means for the first time in four decades, he will not be a sworn law enforcement officer in the city of Richmond.

“I've been standing inside of the tape for 40 years, and now I'm going to be standing outside of the tape. Is that going to feel weird? I think so just because that's all that I've really known,” Venuti said. “I'm looking for the opportunity to do some other things here at VCU that hopefully I will enjoy as much as what I've done here in the police department.”

In his role, Venuti will provide institutional public safety oversight and strategy for VCU and VCU Health. He also will advise the university and health system leadership and partner with the local community on a wide variety of institutional safety, policy and compliance matters, as well as emergency response and planning.

“Chief Venuti is one of the best hires I have been a part of since arriving at VCU,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “He has shown tremendous commitment to people and students in a learning environment. He has been dedicated to the safety of our students, faculty and staff, always thinking ahead with empathy and concern. I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role.”

“Under John Venuti's leadership, VCU's police department has transformed into a 21st-century agency focused on community, collaboration, partnership and engagement,” said Meredith Weiss, Ph.D., vice president for finance and administration. “VCU is fortunate to have John's expertise and continued leadership in this new role, and we are grateful for his unwavering dedication and commitment to serve the VCU and VCU Health community.”

Rising through the law enforcement ranks

Venuti came to policing in the early 1980’s after working as a professional chef, which led to undercover assignments at Richmond restaurants for Richmond Police. He was a key member of the homicide unit at RPD, leading that team of investigators for seven years, overseeing more than 450 investigations. His leadership helped the department significantly increase homicide clearance numbers and reduce murders in the city.

As part of the work Venuti co-founded the homicide support group, providing additional needed support for surviving families of murder victims.

In 2008, Venuti also brought the A&E network to the city of Richmond to create a new reality show “Crime 360.” The network was interested in Richmond due to its high murder clearance rate. Venuti also launched a citywide multimedia violence prevention program titled “Stop The Pain 804.”

Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards, who worked for Venuti when he was the commander of RPD’s Major Crimes Unit, said he has never met a more hardworking and capable individual.

“As a young detective, I had a front-row seat to what leadership was all about,” Edwards said. “John was the epitome of hard work, passion, sacrifice and competence. He taught me, through his actions, that there was no job too difficult or too mundane that he was not willing to do himself. He led from the front, and he led by example.”

An emphasis on innovation and creativity

Taking over at VCU in 2010, Venuti’s work was focused on modernizing and growing VCU Police into one of the premier campus law enforcement agencies in the country and the largest in Virginia.

“I think innovation and creativity have certainly been one of our strengths,” Venuti said.

Throughout his career, national and international policing organizations have recognized Venuti and VCU Police for its programs, ranging from support for sexual violence survivors to traffic safety initiatives and its technology deployment.

In 2015, Campus Safety Magazine named Venuti National Campus Safety Director of the Year, and he was honored for his service by his peers in Virginia law enforcement in 2016.

During Venuti’s tenure, the national call for police reform has been ongoing and consistent, and in turn, the department has taken action. VCU Police focuses on a community-centered approach to policing with an emphasis on building trust with marginalized communities and people of color.

VCU Police overhauled crime alert policies related to suspect descriptions, dramatically reduced use of force incidents involving officers, instituted training requirements for officers on bias and asked for community feedback on officer interactions to promote transparency.

Venuti has worked to make VCU Police an industry leader in care and support for victims of sexual and partner violence.

The department was the first campus policing agency in the country to offer the You Have Options sexual assault reporting program – a survivor-centered approach to support and investigation. VCU Police continues to grow the number of officers on the force who are certified victim-witness specialists.

In an effort to address the ongoing mental health crisis among young people (only exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic), VCU Police now train all of their officers on crisis intervention and mental health first aid.

Venuti spearheaded the development and deployment of the VCU Safety Ambassador unit – who respond to mental health and other service calls that do not require a sworn officer – and VCU’s Emergency Management team.

When community members – through the perception of safety surveys – pointed out gaps in where they felt safe on both the Monroe Park and MCV campuses, Venuti deployed technology:

• VCU Alert provides transparent, accurate and timely information to all community members related to emergencies on or near VCU.
• VCU’s Live Safe app provides an efficient exchange of information between community members and VCU Police.
• VCU deploys more than 1,900 passively monitored surveillance cameras across both the Monroe Park Campus and the MCV Campus.
• RAMS Way connects key locations on the Monroe Park Campus with increased patrols.
• VCU Safe Hub provides critical public safety information for everyone on their phone or smart device.

“At the end of the day, 50,000 people live here, learn here, work here on a daily basis,” Venuti said. “If they understand their responsibility and know what to do, VCU becomes the safest institution in the United States. I feel like a large part of my success here has been doing exactly that.”

Expanded responsibilities to better serve the community

As the community took notice of the work done by VCU Police under Venuti’s leadership, the department took on more responsibility.

In 2019, the department’s jurisdictional boundary expanded to include a significant portion of downtown Richmond, connecting the Monroe Park Campus and the MCV Campus. In 2023, those boundaries expanded to include the Oregon Hill and Randolph neighborhoods, where many VCU students live off campus.

VCU Police and Richmond Police have the same authority within these jurisdictional boundaries and partner on safety initiatives and criminal investigations.

“Both expansions were an effort to better provide services to the VCU community,” Venuti said. “We would constantly say, if you have an issue, call VCU Police, but if you're out of the jurisdiction and you called us, we would have to turn around and call Richmond. That is no longer a concern.”

Venuti thanks the hard work of his officers and professional staff for the department’s success, along with continued support of VCU’s administration.

The department’s East Broad Street headquarters – which opened in 2016 – is an example of the latter.

As Venuti tells it, one day around 2014, he was giving Rao a ride from VCU Health to the Monroe Park Campus. Without warning, Venuti stopped the car directly in front of 224 E. Broad Street.

“I said this building has been vacant for 25 years,” Venuti said. “It's exactly 7/10 of a mile from the academic campus and 7/10 of a mile from the health system campus. I want VCU Police HQ to be the tip of the spear in the center of both campuses as part of the ‘One VCU’ campus concept. Dr. Rao picked his head up and he said, ‘I think that's a really good idea.’”

While his daily office will soon no longer be at 224 E. Broad Street, Venuti is excited to have more time for long conversations about ways to improve VCU – like the one he had 15 years ago soon after his arrival.

“I like getting problems that need solutions. It's kind of in my DNA. I just want to add value to whatever is going on around me,” Venuti said of his new role.

Venuti will continue to oversee and support the police department and its new chief. These days, his mind turns to all the officers and public safety professionals over the years who work to “inspire and motivate” the community while keeping them safe.

“We've got great people here who display extremely high levels of compassion, who are extremely attentive and responsive to supporting the community. That's what makes what's happened here at VCU so great. It's not one thing. It's all of it together.”