News & Announcements
New state laws take effect Wednesday
June 29, 2009 | Virginia News
New state laws that ban text messaging while driving and get tougher on drunken drivers take effect this week.In a 46-day session, the General Assembly approved 879 bills, most of which take effect Wednesday.
The session will probably be best known for a measure prohibiting smoking in most restaurants and bars in Virginia. This measure will not take effect until Dec. 1 to give restaurant owners more time to prepare for the ban.
Here's a look at some highlights of laws that take effect this week:
Semifinalists Announced for 2009 IACP/Motorola Webber Seavey Awards for Quality in Law Enforcement
June 24, 2009 | National News
Two Virginia agencies make the cut: Richmond Police Department, for their project "GRIP - Gang Reduction and Intervention Program", and Purcellville Police Department, for their project "Engagement of our Community Youth"Jointly sponsored by IACP and Motorola, the Webber Seavey Award is presented annually to agencies and departments worldwide in recognition for promoting a standard of excellence that exemplifies law enforcement's contribution and dedication to the quality of life in local communities.
‘Chief’s Kids’ Celebrate One-Year Anniversary
June 23, 2009 | Virginia News
BRISTOL, Va. – Thousands of bubbles rose up to the sky Monday night in the parking lot of Rice Terrace Apartments. They came from wands held in the sticky hands of members of "Chief’s Kids", a crew of children brought together every week by the Bristol Virginia Police Department and Hunt Memorial United Methodist Church.The one-year anniversary of the start of the club was celebrated Monday. It is a pet project of city Police Chief Bill Price, who said he’s proud of the work the children have done. The aim is to teach kids in targeted neighborhoods about responsibility.
External Link to ArticleMove Over Twitter; Step Aside Facebook. Nixle is for Real.
June 20, 2009 | National News
New communications service has signed up nearly 1,000 agencies in just a few months and the National Sheriffs' Association is communicating with conference attendees via Nixle.SAN FRANCISCO, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Nixle, the latest entrant into the field of instantaneous communications, is making rapid strides with police and municipal agencies nationwide - not to mention the thousands of citizens who have signed up to receive vital public safety messages.
Guards Who Shot Back at Von Brunn Identified
June 12, 2009 | National News
The security guards who returned fire when a white supremacist allegedly gunned down their colleague at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday were a recently retired D.C. police officer and a former Marine, both of whom had worked at the museum only a few weeks.Teresa Gooch new security director at St. Catherine’s
June 12, 2009 | Virginia News
Teresa P. Gooch, who twice served as Richmond's interim police chief, has been named director of security at St. Catherine's School.New to elementary lesson plans: Gang prevention
June 11, 2009 | Virginia News
High schoolers in Chesapeake are referred to guidance counselors. Middle schoolers get the lesson in health class: how to spot gangs, what gangs do, and how to stay away.Now Chesapeake wants to extend these lessons to elementary school students, and eventually even kindergartners.
Starting this fall, students in grades three to five will have gang prevention and awareness classes.
Security Guard Killed at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
June 10, 2009 | National News
A lone gunman known to authorities as a white supremacist shot and fatally wounded a private security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in downtown Washington today before being shot and wounded by guards who returned fire, officials said.The wounded security guard and the gunman were both taken to George Washington University Hospital with serious injuries, police said.
Authorities later said the guard died in the hospital.
Former Lynchburg sheriff Lawrence Simpson dies at 77
June 10, 2009 | Virginia News
Simpson, who served as Lynchburg’s sheriff from 1974 to 2001, was a mentor to many in law enforcement in the Lynchburg area. The 77-year-old died Monday at the University of Virginia Medical Center.Snead remembers the former sheriff as a man who made it a point to know his colleagues and the community.
Washington County Sheriff Seeks Position with U.S. Marshals Service
June 10, 2009 | Virginia News
There soon could be a new sheriff in Washington County, Va., because Sheriff Fred Newman is seeking a high-ranking spot with the U.S. Marshals Service.If appointed, Newman would take over as U.S. marshal for the Western District of Virginia, becoming one of two head marshals in the state and among 94 in the country.
Virginia’s Western District, as set by U.S. law, encompasses the 54 counties that make up the two-thirds of the state west of Richmond, according to the U.S. Marshals’ Web site.
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