VPA’s legislative wish list includes expanded power for port police force

December 8, 2007 | Virginia News

Among its top requests is expanding the jurisdiction of the 87-officer police department that guards its terminals in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News and Front Royal, in the Shenandoah Valley.

It wants its police force to have jurisdiction 300 yards beyond terminal boundaries, mirroring the reach of many city and county police forces past their own municipal lines. Also, if someone suspected of infractions inside a terminal leaves the property, the authority wants its officers to be able to pursue that person until local police catch up. Such an extension of powers could be refined through agreements negotiated with each locality.

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