Blog

VSP Memo to Agencies on Community Policing Data Collection (HB1250)

The Community Policing Act requires that each time a local law-enforcement officer, sheriff, deputy sheriff or State Police officer stops a driver of a motor vehicle, the officer shall collect the following data, based on the officer's observation or information provided to the officer by the driver:


DOWNLOAD MEMO (PDF)
 

TO:              Virginia Police Chiefs and Sheriffs                     
FROM:         Captain Keenon C. Hook 
SUBJECT:   Community Policing Data Collection (HB1250)
 
Effective July 1, 2020, the Virginia Department of State Police, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Uniform Crime Reporting Section will begin the collection of community policing data, as required by 2020 Acts of Assembly Chapter 1165, the Community Policing Act. This Act requires that each time a local law-enforcement officer, sheriff, deputy sheriff or State Police officer stops a driver of a motor vehicle, the officer shall collect the following data, based on the officer's observation or information provided to the officer by the driver:

  1. the race, ethnicity, age, and gender of the person stopped;
  2. the reason for the stop;
  3. the location of the stop;
  4. whether a warning, written citation, or summons was issued or whether any persons were arrested;
  5. if a warning, written citation, or summons was issued or an arrest was made, the warning provided, violation charged, or crime charged; and
  6. whether the vehicle or any person was searched.

The bill also requires each state and local law-enforcement agency to also collect and report to the State Police the number of complaints the agency receives alleging the use of excessive force. 

We are currently working to create data elements and technical specifications to implement this legislation and make the transition as easy as possible. The final data elements will be complete within the next few weeks, and at that point further information will be provided with specific requirements for the new data collection. As it stands now, we plan to have two collection methods:

  1. Manual data extraction from CAD/RMS if all data elements are entered. 
  2. Manual update of an excel spreadsheet. 

Both methods will require an emailed submission to the Department on a quarterly basis. The Department's long term goal is to develop a repository, much like Incident Based Reporting and Use of Force, to absorb the data through an upload of the data file generated from CAD/RMS.

Questions concerning the Community Policing Data Collection should be addressed to Ms. Keon Turner, UCR/IBR Program Manager, at (804) 674-2143 or keon.turner@vsp.virginia.gov
 

FUTURE VACP CONFERENCE DATES:

Winter Conferences
February 5-7, 2025
February 4-6, 2026
Location for all: Hilton Short Pump (Henrico County)
 
100th Annual
August 24-27, 2025

Location: Williamsburg Lodge

101st Annual
August 30 – September 2, 2026

Location: Hotel Roanoke