Safety and Well-being Advisory Committee

Accountability

The SWAC recommended that VCU create a civilian oversight advisory committee independent of VCU Police as well as enhance VCU’s officer review process. The following is a progress update on these efforts.

  • VCU Administration established a Community Oversight & Advisory Committee, whose charge is to research best practices, review VCU Police policies, guidelines, and practices, review use of force incidents and complaints, and engage with the VCU Community and surrounding neighborhoods to to raise awareness of the Committee and the rights of community members. This committee has participated in extensive training in partnership with VCU Police and meets quarterly. A website for the committee will be live later this year.

    Current committee membership:

    • Kimberly Battle, Faculty, VCU School of Nursing
    • Ronald Brown, Community Representative, Carver
    • Nicholas Fetzer, AVP Finance and Administration, VCU Life Sciences
    • Oscar Kemp, Undergraduate student, VCU School of Social Work
    • Katherine Poarch, Chair, VCU Health
    • Mychal Smith, Faculty VCU Chemistry Department
    • James Vigeant, Community Representative, Jackson Ward

  • Police supervisor monthly reviews started on Aug. 1, 2022. Deputy chiefs, captains, lieutenants and sergeants interact with direct reports during the commission of their duties and conduct live performance reviews. These reviews focus on fair and impartial policing and engaged involvement with VCU community members. Data from the reviews is collected, tracked and evaluated by police leadership. 

  • Since January 2022, VCU Police has received 674 responses through the Guardian Score QR code feature that was added to officers’ stop cards. People who are stopped by VCU Police officers can use the cards to rate the interaction and provide feedback to the department. 

VCU Police implemented SmartForce as a data management system that houses all complaints, officer-involved use-of-force reports. This platform allows VCU Police to house data in one place and affords higher levels of situational awareness for all officers.