VCU Police receive first place in state ratings of university forces
VCU Police Chief John Venuti accepted first place in the 2010 Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge Awards on Sept. 27 in Norfolk. Photo by Kyle Laferriere.
Mason Brown
Staff Writer
Pleased with the traffic in and around VCU?
So is the Virginia Association of Police Chiefs.
VCU Police received first place in the 2010 Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge Awards in the category of “University Police.” The awards recognize the best traffic-safety programs in Virginia and are given to multiple forces based on size, as well as university police and military police departments.
The first-place award was granted to VCU Police in front of the University of Richmond Police. The two Richmond colleges were the only entries in the challenge.
Chief John Venuti went to Norfolk on Tuesday, Sept. 27 to receive the award at the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police (VACP) meeting.
“I think it tells us we have an awesome traffic enforcement program,” Venuti said. “Not just on a local or regional level, but on a state level.”
VCU Police submitted an entry booklet that outlined their efforts in traffic safety during 2010. These include the “Click it or Ticket” campaign, traffic checkpoints, saturation patrols and pedestrian and bicycle safety patrols.
It also described the policies regarding policy and guidelines in traffic, officer training, enforcement activity and the effectiveness of their efforts.
The Law Enforcement Challenge is a competition that ranks similar-sized and similar types of law enforcement agencies based on success in their traffic programs.
According to the Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge’s website, smartsafeandsober.org, they “recognize and reward the best overall traffic safety programs in Virginia. VACP & DMV believe an increase in traffic enforcement and education in a community results in a decrease in motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities.”
VCU Police will continue their traffic efforts into 2011-12 with pushes on bike and pedestrian traffic safety as seen with their recent efforts during the respective awareness weeks.
