Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced Tuesday new law enforcement training initiatives to promote 21st century policing throughout Virginia. New initiatives will place special emphasis on topics such as impartial policing, use of force, situational decision making and bias awareness.
The announcement comes after months of consideration by law enforcement agencies and community leaders.
"We all share the common goals of ensuring that police can safely and effectively protect our communities, while guaranteeing that everyone is treated fairly and equally.” Herring said in a press release. “Those two goals are not in conflict. In fact, they’re inextricably linked, and we have to get them both right if we’re going to have the safe, successful communities we all want.”
The dual-track initiative will provide training and professional development opportunities for both current and rising law enforcement officers. The Office of the Attorney General will host several regional, multi-day trainings with special attention to underserved areas of the state.
Herring said he hopes to bring these training sessions to areas without the funding and resources to carry them out on their own.
Basic training academy materials will undergo revision to meet requirements set by the Department of Criminal Justice Services and incorporate important contemporary policing subjects.
“In Virginia, we don’t want to just meet the standards. We want to set them,” Herring said.
The office's initiative follows the recommendations released in May by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and the training initiatives promoted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The initiative has the broad support of Virginia law enforcement, public safety and community leaders, including Congressman Bobby Scott, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran, President of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP Carmen Taylor, and President of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police David Sloggie.
"More comprehensive and evidence-based police training and implementing representative and community-based policing will ultimately provide better protections for both law enforcement and the citizens they protect and serve," Scott said.
The initiative is expected to take 12 to 18 months to fully take effect. Throughout the process, the attorney general's office will continue to work closely with the Department of Criminal Justice Services to improve public safety and police efficiency, and will soon issue a “Request for Proposal” updated basic training academy materials to meet the new standards.
Herring will announce additional strategies relating the policing initiative in coming weeks.
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