News & Announcements Archives
May 2008
Record number of entries received for 2007 Challenge
May 7, 2008 | VACP
Judging of the entries has not yet begun, but Virginia is already a winner!! For the first time ever, we have received more than 50 entries in the Law Enforcement Challenge! NOTE: Please let us know if you believe you submitted an entry and your agency is NOT listed!!Portsmouth police chief resigns
May 7, 2008 | Virginia News
Chief Edward Long, who headed the police department since September 2006, resigned effective immediately, the city manager’s office announced Tuesday evening.Cops to ride for those killed on duty
May 3, 2008 | Virginia News
Each bicyclist will make the 250-mile trek in the memory of a specific officer.JAMES CITY - Since January, James City County Police Officer Hal Diggs has been preparing himself to bike 250 miles. He knows it won't be easy.
Even in training, his body tires after a while. His legs get sore. That's when he starts thinking of Mark Bedard. Just repeating the name of the Minnesota officer who was killed last year during a car pursuit helps him keep going, he said.
ABC board can now close gang ‘hangouts’
May 3, 2008 | Virginia News
Officials working to curb gang activity in Virginia have a new tool at their disposal – a law that lets them strip alcohol licenses from businesses that permit criminal gangs to use their property as hangouts.Gov. Timothy M. Kaine signed a bill that gives the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control that power during a Friday meeting of a state anti-gang panel he created nearly two-years ago.
VSP First Sergeant Haygood passes away
May 2, 2008 | Virginia News
First Sergeant Mark A. Haygood, 44, of Midlothian, Va., passed away peacefully Thursday, May 1, 2008 at St. Mary's Hospital. He is survived by his devoted wife, Terri K. Haygood; loving children, Rebecca, Riley, Peyton, and Jacob; his parents, Charles H. and Catherine I. Haygood; one sister, Cindy L. Horne; also two nieces and five nephews.Lynchburg Officer Branham loses brief battle with cancer
May 1, 2008 | Virginia News
It is with great sadness that the Lynchburg Police Department announces the death of Police Officer William C. Branham.Officer Branham, age 26, passed away the morning of April 30 after a brief battle with cancer. Officer Branham was a seven year veteran with the department having served as a cadet, patrol officer and traffic safety officer. He is survived by his wife, April, and two daughters ages 2 years and 8 months.
‘Click it’ success nets $5 million for W.Va.
May 1, 2008 | National News
In 1993, West Virginia became one of the last states to mandate wearing seat belts. Drivers still can't be stopped just for not wearing their seat belts. Despite that, more drivers buckle up in West Virginia than in just about any other state, federal officials said Wednesday.The designation gives West Virginia a $5 million federal grant, which the state plans to use to help pay for laptop computers in police cars.
West Virginia had to have at least an 85 percent seat-belt usage for two consecutive years to qualify for the U.S. Department of Transportation grant. The state achieved an 88.5 percent rating in 2006 and 89.5 percent in 2007.
