Chief of Police

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU’s benefits here.

Virginia Commonwealth University has an exciting opportunity for a Chief of Police with the VCU Police Department! 

About the Opportunity

Reporting to John Venuti, VCU’s associate vice president for emergency services and public safety within the Division of Finance and Administration, the chief of police will support day-to-day operational and strategic leadership of the VCU Police Department (VCUPD) which serves both VCU's academic campus and health system. This role will demonstrate a collaborative and engaged leadership style that is focused on maximizing the professionalism and responsiveness of the department and promotes positive and trusted relationships with VCU's student, faculty, staff, and patient constituents as well as the Richmond community. 

As the senior sworn law enforcement officer of the department and at VCU, the chief provides strategic vision and operational oversight for the full range of VCU law enforcement and security functions including uniformed police and security patrols, criminal investigations, crime prevention and problem-oriented policing, community outreach and relations, emergency communications, crime reporting, and security technology. The Chief also plays a key role in maintaining positive interagency relationships with local, state, and federal law enforcement and public safety partners that contribute to the safety of the VCU community. 

In leading a fully accredited law enforcement agency, the chief is responsible for ensuring positive compliance with all relevant accreditation standards, maintaining compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations, and leveraging best practices to advance VCUPD's position as a respected and high performing law enforcement organization. Following 40-years of service in the law enforcement profession and a highly successful tenure at VCU, the department's current chief of police has accepted the position of associate vice president for emergency services and public safety and will be stepping back from day-to-day operational command of VCUPD and sworn service upon the appointment of a new chief of police incumbent.

About the Organization

VCU is home to one of the largest university/health system police departments in the country, with 95 sworn police officers, more than 200 security personnel, an on-site dispatch center, an accredited police training academy, and an annual budget of almost $17M. The VCU Police Department is accredited by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) and strives to proactively embrace best practices and innovative approaches in law enforcement and security operations. 

The mission of the VCU Police Department is to provide a safe and secure learning, living, working and healing environment for the students, faculty, staff, patients and visitors of VCU and accomplishes this through various community-based crime prevention strategies in conjunction with traditional law enforcement and progressive community policing practices. 

All members of the department are expected to provide the highest levels of courtesy and customer service to all community members and this expectation is modeled at every level of the agency from the chief of police to officers who provide uniformed patrol. The Police Department is the principal operational component of VCU's newly formed office of emergency services and public safety which is led by an associate vice president and has overall responsibility for emergency management, police and security operations, public safety business operations, and safety-related partnerships with the greater Richmond community. More information on VCUPD is available at its web site at https://police.vcu.edu.

About VCU and VCU Health

We are the university for Virginia. We know that the unique backgrounds and life experiences of the VCU community are what drive the university forward. Together, we’re forging a future that is built by us. Here, artists and engineers, doctors and designers come together to reimagine the human experience and tackle the problems of tomorrow. It’s this mindset that makes us one of the top 20 most innovative public universities in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. 

VCU dates to 1838 with the formation of the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College, whose mission was to educate physicians in central Virginia and which was later renamed Medical College of Virginia. In 1968, Richmond Professional Institute merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become what is now known as Virginia Commonwealth University.  Located in downtown Richmond, the state capital of Virginia, VCU enrolls more than 28,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate programs across its urban campuses: the downtown Monroe Park and MCV campuses in Richmond; the Rice Rivers Center in Charles City, Virginia; satellite locations in Fairfax, Virginia, and Abingdon, Virginia; and a campus in Doha, Qatar, for the School of the Arts.  

A highly important and visible component of the institution is VCU Health which includes VCU's health sciences schools, an 820-bed academic medical center with 800 physicians in 200 specialties, and a Level 1 Trauma Center serving both pediatric and adult patients. VCU Health also includes the VCU Massey Cancer Center, VCU Medical Center, Community Memorial Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, and an extensive faculty physician practice (MCV Physicians). 

Ignited by the energy of the city, we’re ready to lead industries — or disrupt them. We seek out the unexpected, the experimental, the never-been-tried. VCU is designated as a research university with very high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation, garnering more than $460 million in sponsored research from federal and other agencies in FY2023. The National Science Foundation ranked VCU among the top 50 public research universities in the country, and we are one of only 69 public universities nationwide to be designated by the Carnegie Foundation as “Community Engaged” with “Very High Research Activity.”

This research enterprise, and the influence of having one of the nation’s top-ranked public graduate arts schools, ensures students receive unique educational experiences that equip them with a creative mindset that sets them apart. 

VCU’s contributions in talent, innovation and entrepreneurialism, regional stewardship and local culture shape the economic impact and overall quality of life in the region. VCU as a whole generates more than $9 billion in economic activity. It is the largest employer in Richmond with more than 25,000 employees at VCU and VCU Health, and it supports approximately 58,000 jobs in Virginia. In addition, Virginia classifies VCU with a Tier III status — the highest possible status for universities and colleges — allowing VCU more flexibility in managing its operations to implement best practices and streamline processes. To learn about VCU’s finances, visit about.finance.vcu.edu.

VCU’s unwavering commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity and student success is why INSIGHT into Diversity magazine has named us a Diversity Champion five times in a row as part of its annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Awards. And many students say that the best thing about VCU is its diversity. 

VCU’s mission, under the leadership of President Michael Rao, Ph.D., is to serve as one national urban public research institution dedicated to the success and well-being of our students, patients, faculty, staff and community through:

• Real-world learning that furthers civic engagement, inquiry, discovery and innovation.
• Research that expands the boundaries of new knowledge and creative expression and promotes translational applications to improve the quality of human life.
• Interdisciplinary collaborations and community partnerships that advance innovation, enhance cultural and economic vitality, and solve society’s most complex challenges.
• Health sciences that preserve and restore health for all people, seek the cause and cure of diseases through groundbreaking research and educate those who serve humanity.
• Deeply ingrained core values of diversity, inclusion and equity that provide a safe, trusting and supportive environment to explore, create, learn and serve.

Welcome to VCU. A world unlike any other.

 About Richmond

As the commonwealth’s capital, Richmond, Virginia, offers a vibrant mix of history, diverse culture and real-world opportunities. Distinct neighborhoods, cozy restaurants and cafes and quaint local markets give the city an intimate feel, but theaters, galleries, music festivals, sports attractions and a steady stream of annual events bring RVA — as locals call the region — to life. Established in 1780, its rich history can be seen in the architecture, the Capitol grounds and the cobblestone streets around the city. With the historic James River and 600 acres of parks bordering it, bike trails, wineries, breweries, a flourishing arts, entertainment and restaurant scene (Food and Wine called Richmond a “culinary powerhouse”) and affordable suburbs, this small city punches well above its weight in terms of attractions and buzz. In fact, Travel Leisure named Richmond the best place to live in Virginia in 2023 and Southern Living named Richmond one of the 20 best cities to live in the South in 2024.

Richmond’s location in the middle of the state allows for day or weekend trips to the beach, the Blue Ridge Mountains or Virginia’s many wineries. It’s within a two-hour drive of Washington, D.C., and a multitude of excellent institutions of higher education. The Richmond metropolitan area is also home to several Fortune 500 companies, a broad base of financial companies, hospitals and media firms, high-tech manufacturing companies and state and local government agencies. Entrepreneurs and artists put down roots in Richmond, and Thrillist named it one of the best U.S. cities for creatives in 2022. 

Beyond Richmond, CNBC has named Virginia as the No. 1 state in the country to do business five times since the study began in 2007. It has accomplished this by bringing in billions in capital investment and thousands of new jobs; investing in education; expanding access to quality health care for all; making sure everyone has access to opportunity; and more. Business Facilities magazine ranked Virginia the No. 2 top tech talent pipeline in the U.S. Suffice to say, Virginia is full of growth and opportunity, making it the perfect location for a university determined to erase barriers and provide students with robust learning experiences that will make them unstoppable.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

The following are the principal functions of the Chief of Police position:

• Manage and supervise a 24/7 VCU law enforcement and security operation both directly and through a team of subordinate police commanders and civilian managers. This includes overall responsibility for recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, retention and performance management and assuring the use of appropriate human resources practices within the agency.
• Implement professional accountability mechanisms to ensure that policing and security operations meet accepted performance standards and consistently promote respectful interactions with community members that honor individual civil rights including protection of free speech. Ensure that any perceived or actual violations of professional standards are addressed in a manner that maximizes community accountability, trust, and transparency.
• Establish, communicate, and monitor progress of departmental strategic goals and objectives which should be informed by input from a diverse cross-section of community stakeholders, University and VCU Health leadership, and VCU's strategic plan (Quest 2028; One VCU: Together We Transform). The chief of police will strive to maintain an agency culture which features continuous self-assessment, data-driven decision making, and process improvement.
• Monitor assigned budget and implement administrative mechanisms to ensure the Police Department is a good steward of its assigned resources including people, facilities, and equipment and assure that the agency complies with all applicable VCU administrative policies.
• Maintain an awareness of law enforcement best practices and innovations nationally and incorporate into agency operations in a manner that promotes improved campus safety and trusting relationships with VCU community members and proactively incorporate law enforcement de-escalation techniques and positive mental health interventions among other areas of focus.
• Monitor and oversee the department's response to major law enforcement or security incidents either through senior-level subordinates or by assuming direct operational command when circumstances merit. The chief of police is ultimately responsible for the successful execution of all agency operations and must maintain situational awareness of significant agency matters through an established chain of command. 
• Act as primary spokesperson and advocate for VCUPD, maintaining an active and engaged dialogue with a diverse cross section of community members and partners. This includes participating in university and health system committees and working groups, as well as engaging with faculty, staff, student, and patient organizations and representative bodies.
• Maintain active and productive relationships with local, state, and federal law enforcement and public safety partners and position VCUPD as an integral member of the local and statewide law enforcement community. 
• Ensure that VCUPD maintains a comprehensive and continuously updated set of policies and procedures that ensures compliance with federal and state law, university and health system accreditation standards, and VCU protocols.
• Perform other duties and projects as assigned by the associate vice president or other senior leaders within the chief's established administrative chain of command.

Required Education and Experience

The following are minimum required qualifications for the position:

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution.
• At least 7-10 years of senior leadership experience in a law enforcement agency that includes sworn law enforcement officers. This represents combined experience as an agency head, deputy agency head, or in a command-level role at the rank of police captain or higher.
• Proven experience in engaging and communicating with diverse audiences within a complex institutional environment. This includes delivering presentations at public meetings and forums, briefing the news media on significant incidents or events, and presenting complex information to senior leaders or governing boards.
• Demonstrated experience in managing an agency budget and administering human resources policies and procedures.
• Significant subject matter expertise with the Federal Clery Act and Title IX matters as related to campus law enforcement operations.
• The successful candidate must be certified by the Virginia State Department for Criminal Justice Services to perform police duties in the Commonwealth of Virginia or be able to obtain Virginia certification within 12 months of accepting this position based on current and/or prior experience as a sworn law enforcement officer.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

The following credentials are preferred by the hiring authority but are not mandatory for consideration for the position:

• Prior service as a law enforcement agency head or deputy agency head.
• Campus Law Enforcement experience in a law enforcement agency that includes sworn law enforcement officers.
• A master’s degree or graduation from a recognized law enforcement leadership program such as the FBI National Academy, Senior Management Institute for Police, FBI Executive Leadership Institute, Southern Police Institute or substantially equivalent.
• Prior experience in leading a nationally accredited law enforcement agency (e.g., CALEA, IACLEA). 
• Experience with law enforcement and security operations in a healthcare setting, especially with a large-scale emergency department or trauma center.

Application Procedures

The salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

How to Apply

Application review will start the week of August 12 and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates should complete the personal and demographic application on the VCU job website. Additionally, candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, diversity statement*, and the names and contact information of three references. References will only be contacted with the candidates' prior knowledge and approval. All nominations and applications will remain confidential until finalists are selected. Please submit your application materials through the VCU Jobs portal.

Requests for information and all written nominations and applications should be directed to: Tanya-Lee Giscombe (tlsgiscombe@vcu.edu)

*Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to organizational diversity, equity and inclusion – an environment where all can thrive in their pursuit of excellence. Applicants are requested to submit a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion providing your career aspirations and contributions toward promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

For more information on Virginia Commonwealth University, please visit vcu.edu and https://www.vcu.edu/about-vcu/facts-and-rankings/.

Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing accessible and equitable living, learning and working environments free from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or disability.

Tanya-Lee Giscombe
tlsgiscombe@vcu.edu