VCU news

By Jake Burns
VCU Police

Procedural justice – “providing trustworthiness, voice, neutrality and respect to all people” – is a guiding principle for how Clarence T. Hunter Jr. says he plans to lead the Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department.

On Monday afternoon at James Branch Cabell Library, Hunter was officially sworn in as VCU’s next chief of police by Edward F. Jewett, clerk of the Circuit Court of Richmond.

“In my various leadership roles in policing, I have led by this idea” of procedural justice, Hunter said. “I understand how our personnel require this for their development. Police officers who receive and display high levels of procedural justice are met with approval from their community in every aspect of their job. To help us build this legitimacy, I will ask for your cooperation.”

The veteran police officer, law enforcement thought-leader and military veteran will head the day-to-day operations of VCU Police, an internationally accredited campus law enforcement team and one of the largest campus police forces in the country.

“I want to thank Dr. Rao, Dr. Weiss, [Associate Vice President] Venuti, the VCU community and the VCU Police Department for trusting me with this incredible responsibility. I am fully aware of the weight and challenges this role carries, and I do not take it lightly,” Hunter said, citing VCU leaders who selected him after an extensive search process.

“My primary goal as your police chief is to build upon the trust that the VCU Police Department has established. Without trust and legitimacy, we will not be successful.” Hunter continued. “Legitimacy must be earned with every encounter we have with our community members. Like respect, legitimacy is earned, and it is accomplished one citizen contact at a time.”

John Venuti, associate vice president for public safety at VCU and VCU Health and the longtime chief of police, said a national search for the department’s next leader produced a strong pool of candidates. It was Hunter’s commitment and involvement directly in the community throughout Central Virginia that made him an ideal fit for VCU.

“The VCU Police Department is made up of an incredible group of men and women who work hard, connect with our community on a daily basis and do things the right way,” Venuti said.  “We needed the next chief of police to have a strong focus on community engagement, as well as involvement, to continue the upward trajectory of the VCU Police Department.”

Venuti will continue his role overseeing the public safety ecosystem at VCU and VCU Health, providing institutional knowledge to both the police department and administration in the academic and health sciences realms.

As veteran police officers in Central Virginia, Hunter and Venuti have a professional relationship that dates back 30 years, a key factor that will enhance the public safety mission throughout VCU.

Meredith Weiss, Ph.D., senior vice president for finance and administration at VCU and its chief financial officer, called this new partnership a “milestone moment” for public safety at VCU and VCU Health.

“John is unequivocally devoted to VCU, our students, our patients and our community, and he is one of the most authentic people I have the pleasure of knowing,” Weiss said of Venuti. And as his successor, “Chief Hunter is an experienced law enforcement professional whose background with community policing aligns with what it means to be a chief of police, as well as the values we hold dear at VCU.”

Hunter said students, parents, faculty, staff and patients across the VCU enterprise deserve the “utmost in care and professionalism” from VCU Police. He plans to build upon a culture of accountability and transparency.

“We can all work together toward a safer, stronger community. A strong community is one in which we hold each other accountable for all our actions and we support each other in times of need,” Hunter said.

He pointed to a course he has helped lead for several years at VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs called Bridging Perspectives. Twenty VCU students and 10 police officers from Central Virginia have detailed, personal dialogue about each other’s views and work to solve issues within the community and policing.

“When we start our class at the beginning of the semester, the officers and students typically sit apart from one another. By the end of the semester, they sit together and have meaningful discussions,” he said. “This is the contact theory at work: Spending time with people who are different from you changes your perspectives.”

Hunter began his law enforcement career in the 1990s as a Richmond police patrol officer. His assigned beat included the Grace Street corridor, which is now part of VCU’s Monroe Park Campus.

In 1996, Hunter headed to Henrico County, where he was elected president of his police academy class. Hunter was a key member of Henrico’s Strike Force unit combatting street level narcotics distribution, worked as a detective for the Special Action Force focused on investigating robberies and spent six years a member of Henrico’s SWAT team.

Fellow officers and detectives welcomed Hunter’s work ethic and leadership, and he quickly ascended through the ranks within Henrico.

As a captain leading the Henrico’s east end precinct, Hunter directed Operation 360, focused on reducing crime by increasing collaboration between Henrico and Richmond police. The initiative reduced crime and calls for service in the eastern corridor of their jurisdictions.

After reaching the rank of deputy chief in Henrico, Hunter examined how county police served residents from a community engagement perspective.

In order to reach people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, he recognized that a faith-based approach could serve as a unifier. The Henrico Faith Based Coalition was formed, and local faith groups were invited to police headquarters to discuss issues important to them. The initiative received a National Association of Counties award in 2016.

This work inspired Hunter to volunteer to further promote fair and impartial policing strategies in Henrico. He became a national instructor for the organization Fair and Impartial Policing, a leading educational group that provides implicit-bias training to law enforcement and government officials.

The VCU Police Department was the first agency outside of Henrico that Hunter instructed on these practices. Since retiring from Henrico in 2018, Hunter has led Fair and Impartial Policing workshops across the country, including at notable agencies like police departments in New York City and Chicago.

It was during one of these training sessions, following the murder of George Floyd and calls for police reform in 2020, that Hunter felt the call back to service in law enforcement.

A student abruptly said: “You must be glad you are retired,” Hunter recalled at Monday’s swearing-in.

“To say that I was taken back is an understatement. This is what has brought me to VCU. I feel that now is the time to highlight the good we can accomplish in this profession,” he said.

“Thank you for the opportunity to be your police chief. I look forward to the work we will do, the challenges we will face, and the successes we will achieve — together,” Hunter said.

Prior to his career in law enforcement, Hunter served in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division and the Virginia Army National Guard, retiring at the rank of master sergeant. His deployments included Honduras in 1988 and Bosnia in 1996.

Hunter received a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Mountain State University. He is a graduate of the administrative officer management program at North Carolina State University, the professional executive leadership school at the University of Richmond and the senior management institute for police, sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum.

Hunter thanked his wife, Jennifer, and their three children for their support and sacrifice over his career.

“I simply thank you for being the best. Your support has been with me from the beginning. None of this happens without each of you,” Hunter said.