Police Department

The Department of Public Safety fully supports University COVID policies to include the number of individuals allowed to gather together. However, URPD will not be involved in the enforcement of health policies related to face coverings or physical distancing.

Emergency

(804) 289-8911
alert.richmond.edu

Non-Emergency: (804) 289-8715

To the members of our community, our department has been deeply impacted by the recent events and protests in Richmond and around the country sparked by the murders of African Americans by law enforcement. As a department we feel an urgency to contribute to the elimination of systematic racism in policing and uphold sanctity of life use of force reforms. I fully understand the ways police interact with the public, and the way we conduct ourselves in these situations, can have long-lasting effects on individuals and communities.

The reforms urgently needed in policing require continuous thoughtful actions to occur.  I can assure you that your Police Department is working towards transparency and accountability as we continue to evolve.  

Please visit our new links on this page, including information about arrests and traffic stops, our Community Advisory Board and key elements of our current Use of Force policy.

A joint WCGA and RCGA report from February 14, 2020 to university administration led our department’s   decision to create a Police Community Advisory Board to build a shared commitment for our community’s well-being related to Public Safety.

URPD will continue to be first responders to emergency situations. In 2019 URPD responded and provided   medical assistance to 100 students, 33 adults, and 3 non-affiliated juveniles. The age of individuals provided care range from seven to ninety-three years of age. In addition, 50% of our officers are certified EMT’s.

In 2019 URPD also responded to 25 mental health calls and 46 welfare checks. All department members have completed Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) which serves our community well.

URPD was the first campus police department in the country to be Accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA July 1990). Accreditation requires the department to demonstrate compliance with over 480 standards and ensures our policy’s processes and procedures provide a professional approach to serving our community.  

URPD was also one of the first campus police departments in the country to adopt and implement formal de-escalation use of force training through the Police Executive Research Forum (Jan 2019). We enhanced our Use of Force policy to place emphasis on the responsibility of officers and supervisors to intervene and stop an unjust or inappropriate action.

Our department has more work to do, and I recognize that the items mentioned above are meaningless if we cannot inspire and nurture community trust. Specifically, we will continue our work to listen and engage in conversations about the intersection of race and policing in our community, and in particular with our students of color.

Thank you for visiting our website to learn more about our work. It is a privilege to serve the UR community. 

Sincerely, 

Dave McCoy
Chief of Police