Sheriff's Office update

 

Steven N. Creasey has been Goochland Sheriff since January 1. During his tenure, in addition to dealing with the local consequences of a global pandemic, he and his team have built on the strong legacy inherited from the previous administration to expand and improve service to citizens.

At the November 4 Board of Supervisors’ meeting, Creasey presented the annual report for the Goochland County Sheriff’s office (GCSO).

 For the sixth consecutive time, the GCSO earned full accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission. This involves a detailed peer review of all facets of an agency including training, professionalism, delivery of service, and establishment and ongoing evaluation of policies, procedures, goals, and objectives.

Core values to direct daily work of all GCSO employees have been established. Mission and vision statements have been updated. More than 70 percent of operational procedures have been updated and all communications policies and procedures are currently under review.

The GCSO has signed a memorandum of understanding with Goochland Schools for the first time, cementing the cordial and constructive relationship between the two organizations. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeremy Raley commended school resource officers for their professionalism and acting as positive role models for students in high and middle schools.

Creasey reported that all GCSO employees are members of the Virginia Sheriff’s Association, another first. The GCSO also joined the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program; and, after years of collaboration, officially joined the internet crimes against children task force; the Virginia Crime Clinic; and the Virginia Gang Investigators Association. He explained that these affiliations enable GCSO to anticipate trends in crime to take proactive steps for prevention.

The Sheriff thanked the supervisors for funding cell phones for all deputies. “It’s been a game changer enabling our deputies to spend more time on the road.”

New “traffic trailers” to record actual speeds to determine if speeding in an area is a problem or perception. Prisoner cages, to provide physical separation between LEOs and detainees for the protection of all; bullet proof glass in the General District/Juvenile Relations Courtroom have been added.

To ensure that all voices in the community are heard with respect to law enforcement, a community division has been created.

New hires in the GCSO include a crime analyst; more deputies; communications supervisors; and new K-9 officers both two and four legged, and command staff.

Cultural diversity training to enable our LEOs to interact positively with all members of the community is another new initiative. Creasey said that a recent session facilitated by Lt. Deuntay Diggs of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office was so successful that he hopes to make it an annual event. Crisis intervention training, to prepare LEOs to deal with individuals experiencing mental health issues is being completed by all deputies. New hire orientation will be further enhanced by the Goochland Recruit Academy, which will include three weeks of training with the Virginia State Police; Goochland County Fire-Rescue; Goochland/Powhatan Community Services Board; Goochland Animal Protections; and GCSO 911 communications, all agencies that partner with the GCSO in daily operations.

Other skills to be imparted include fingerprinting and booking; community policing and interacting with the School Resource Officers; magistrate and investigations training.

Weekly reporting on the GCSO Facebook page has been reformatted and its website is under renovation.

Permanent drop boxes for medical disposal and flag retirement are now at the Sheriff’s Office. In the coming months, Creasey expects to create a safe exchange zone for online transactions and a watch program for homes; worship; and business to deter crime.

To serve county citizens during the pandemic, deputies delivered prescriptions to vulnerable citizens rendered housebound by Covid.  On the lighter side, a Candy, Cops, and Kids event held around Halloween was so successful it will be an annual event.

Creasey thanked citizens for their generous show of support in the form of food, good wishes, and masks.

Chief Deputy Mike East demonstrated Rapid SOS, a secure web-based program, that is the latest technology added to the tool bag of local emergency communications.

Existing 911 infrastructure, in use for approximately 50 years, was designed for land lines and provided little useful data to responders beyond a voice only connection.  Rapid SOS uses cell phone signals in secure web-based network from iPhones with iOS 12+ and Android phones version 4.0+ as well as wearable devices, connected homes and vehicles at no cost. The app, said East, is used by 4700 911 centers across us funded by private partners. When a 911 call is placed, all location apps on devices are activated, whether they are on or not, to provide local 911 center instantaneously with a real time map plot of the location of the device that made the call. This is activated only when a 911 call is placed.

Creasey said that before this app, it was difficult to pinpoint 911 locations, especially for calls made form cell phones. Rapid SOS pings phones every 15 seconds after a 911 call is placed for up to 10 minutes. If someone is in the trunk of a car and unable to respond, the app will trace the device.

Rapid SOS Can pinpoint the location of lost people floating on the river, who have no idea where they are when they call for help. “It’s powerful good stuff. This will save lives in our county,” said East. He said it will also help fire-rescue find accidents, especially those on the interstate, quickly. “It was free of charge, that’s the best part,” said East. (To see a demonstration go to https://www.goochlandva.us/943/Video-of-Past-BOS-Meetings at about the 40 minute mark.)

Creasey explained that the reason that deputies, who normally adhere to a strict grooming policy, are participating in “No Shave November” to raise awareness and finds for cancer research. This year’s program is dedicated to the memory of John Casey, a former deputy, steadfast Marine, Crozier Company 2 representative to the county Fire Board, and, along with his wife Ann, a community treasure.  He was instrumental in getting the county to decorate the light poles in Courthouse Village for Christmas. He is missed.

John Casey

This is not an easy time to work in law enforcement. Goochland is blessed with fine people dedicated to serve and protect us all.