Chesterfield Police 2004 Annual Report

Office of the Chief of Police

The Office of the Chief of Police consists of the chief of police, deputy chief for support, deputy chief for operations, Watch Commander Program, Media Relations, the Office of Professional Standards, Finance Unit and the Police Personnel Unit. The chief and deputy chiefs are responsible for the overall planning, development and direction of a complete program of police administration. As an office, they prepare the operational departmental performance plan and annual budget, administer, direct and coordinate the department's activities according to state and local laws and department and county administrative policies. The deputy chief for support acts as the police department liaison to the director of the Emergency Communications Center.

The Watch Commanders are two captains that report directly to the Office of the Chief of Police. These staff officers provide command-level representation during evening and early morning hours and are responsible for overseeing all department functions during their tours of duty.

Media Relations is staffed with a public information coordinator who operates under the direction of the Office of the Chief of Police. The coordinator provides and disseminates information to news agencies and coordinates requests between media and department personnel.

The Office of Professional Standards provides an independent, internal inspection service for the chief of police and members of department management concerning the effective discharge of their responsibilities. It involves inquiries, investigations and research in preparation for furnishing analyses, appraisals and recommendations to the chief of police and command personnel in areas of operational policy, procedure and practice. The office is responsible for the internal-affairs, or self-policing, function. It provides citizens with a fair and effective avenue for redress of legitimate grievances against officers or the department. The office also maintains accreditation by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission.

The Finance Unit manages and prepares the police department's departmental-performance plan, annual budget and the capital-improvement plan; manages grants; maintains and monitors the department's budget for fiscal control; maintains and monitors all purchases for the department; and maintains the administrative tasks associated with the false-alarm ordinance. The unit also manages the department's time-accounting function and payroll preparation, and the financial management of the false-alarm ordinance.

The Police Personnel Unit is responsible for a variety of functions. Its primary focus is the recruitment, testing, background investigation and selection of personnel to be presented to the chief of police for employment consideration. The unit is also responsible for the administration of promotional processes, including the department's career-development program. A secondary but major function of the unit is conducting background investigations and processing the various types of permits and licenses available in the county.