Chesterfield Police 2005 Annual Report

Office of the Chief of Police

Dear Chesterfield County resident,

All in all, 2005 was a good year for the Chesterfield County Police Department. Our rates for crimes, traffic fatalities and personal injury accidents slightly decreased. At the same time, Crime Solvers tips, volunteer hours and crime prevention programs increased. Our strong partnership with the community enables us to show such progress.

Chesterfield County, however, is not without its challenges. Recruiting police officers is a nationwide challenge, and at times, it is difficult to fill our sworn positions. As a result, we are not meeting our response- time goals. To rectify this situation, we have focused on recruitment, reviewed our beat structure, and will be adding personnel to our minimum staffing levels.

Traffic and motor-vehicle crashes continue to challenge us. Last year, there were 27 fatal crashes. Early in 2005, we instituted a series of new traffic-enforcement initiatives to create awareness among drivers of all ages, reduce injuries and help save lives. Operation STOP (Strategic Traffic Offense Patrols) was one such initiative. The three-month campaign focused on drunk driving, speeding, aggressive driving, red-light running, and registration and improper-equipment violations. It garnered extensive local media coverage via television, publications and radio. That media coverage heightened citizen awareness and reminded drivers they, too, could make a difference.

The growing multi-cultural population poses communication challenges related to both language and cultural beliefs. To promote cultural understanding and to meet these challenges, officers continue to receive cultural diversity training. Last year, our Spanish-language curriculum expanded to include 40 hours of Spanish- language classes – mandatory for all new officers. Those issues are met with resolutions and preventive measures. We co-hosted Arab, Muslim and Sikh awareness training sessions with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Sikh-American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

I am proud to lead such a fine police department that is made up of men and women who really care about you – the citizens. On the same note, we have many citizens who care about our police officers, and that partnership is what makes such a difference. Please look over this annual report and know that you are an integral part of our success.

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Thank you, and may 2006 be an even better year.

Sincerely,
Chief of Police