parents now live. He expressed

interest in getting to know Rich-

mond.

“Policing is all about getting to

know the community and being

involved in the community,” he

said.

Col. Bryan T. Norwood became

the Richmond Police Department’s

16th chief of police in November

2008.

“This is a job I don’t take lightly

nor do I forget the sacrifices made

by all officers on a daily basis,”

said Norwood, who came to the

Department from Bridgeport,

Conn., where he also was chief of

police.

Norwood welcomed the opportu-

nity to return to Virginia, where he

attended college and where his

Bryan T. Norwood is sworn in Nov. 3, 2008,

by City Clerk Lou Brown Ali

in front of an audience of hundreds at Virginia

Union University’s Coburn Hall.

The Investiture The Investiture The Investiture The Investiture

Richmond Police Department

Building a Model of Community Policing

Chief Bryan T. Norwood: The First 100 Days Leading Richmond Police

Notes on Norwood • Date of birth:

Sept. 25, 1966

• Hampton University

graduate

• Police officer, New

Haven, Conn., 1989

• DEA special agent,

New York, 1998

• Police Officer of the

Year, New Haven, Conn.,

2000

• Assistant chief, New

Haven, Conn., 2002

• Chief of police,

Bridgeport, Conn., 2006

“My vision for Richmond is a city where our neighborhoods are safe and

inviting. I’ll work hard to lift up our neighborhoods, crack down on crime,

and create better opportunities for all Richmond residents.”

~ Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones

to offender re-entry programs.

Then there are the everyday

citizens who contact Richmond

Police. That contact has been

increased with Chief Norwood’s

implementation of community

walk-throughs. Thanks to infor-

mation provided by citizens

during these walkthroughs, ar-

rests were made — from Ful-

ton’s in December and Provi-

dence Park’s in January.

As with the law enforcement

partners, there are many out in

the community doing their part

to make the City and Richmond

Police better.

Non-profit partners like Child-

Savers, the Salvation Army Boys

& Girls Club, and Sacred Heart

Center and numerous others, like

the ones represented with logos

at left, help with everything from

alternative programs for youths

The Community PartnersThe Community PartnersThe Community PartnersThe Community Partners

The Law Enforcement PartnersThe Law Enforcement PartnersThe Law Enforcement PartnersThe Law Enforcement Partners same page and to share intel that

has been developed by officers in

the field.

This information comes together

to allow everyone to work

smarter toward the goal of crime

prevention and reduction.

Chief Norwood immediately

introduced himself to CVRP and

works regularly with its member

partners. Other Department part-

ners include:

No man is an island, and neither

is Richmond Police.

Chief Norwood knows the De-

partment and the City would not,

and could not, achieve the suc-

cess in crime reduction it has

without working with many

other area agencies and jurisdic-

tions.

The Cooperative Violence Re-

duction Program meets quarterly

to ensure everyone is on the

Page 2

Building a Model of Community Policing

The Department LeadershipThe Department LeadershipThe Department LeadershipThe Department Leadership

After a month on the job, Chief Bryan Norwood promoted three veteran officers within the Department in December to form his leadership team. After the ceremony, Chief Norwood with Major John Venuti, left, Major Eric English, and Assistant Chief David McCoy.

Major Sydney Collier is sworn in Jan. 9, at City Hall.

Chief Norwood hired his former law enforcement colleague from

New Haven, Conn., to serve as chief of staff for

Richmond Police.

Chief Norwood recognized the need for continuity while

moving the Department forward. He promoted three within

the Department to his Command Staff and reorganized it to

match needs within the Department and to build on the

model for community policing with established and recog-

nized leaders who have developed and maintained the trust

of the community.

Assistant Richmond Police Chief David McCoy, left, and Chief Bryan Norwood listen while Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Miller speaks during a Cooperative Violence Reduction Program meeting in December.

• RRHA Public Safety Division

• Richmond Sheriff’s Office

• Henrico Police

• Chesterfield Police

• Virginia State Police

• FBI

• DEA

• ATF

• U.S. Marshals Service

• Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office

• U.S. Attorney’s Office

• Department of Homeland Security

Fourth Precinct Commander John Hall and Chief Norwood pay a visit to a Providence Park residence during a community walk-through.

The Reduction in CrimeThe Reduction in CrimeThe Reduction in CrimeThe Reduction in Crime

The Chief’s Initiatives and New ProgramsThe Chief’s Initiatives and New ProgramsThe Chief’s Initiatives and New ProgramsThe Chief’s Initiatives and New Programs • The Board of Young Adult

Police Commissioners to gain

input and insight from high

school youths representing

Richmond Public Schools. The

commissioners will meet

monthly with Chief Nor-

wood to share informa-

tion.

• Development of a

martial arts program as

a positive outlet for young

people, stressing discipline and

channeling their energy toward

an athletic endeavor.

• Support through Rapid Tac-

tical Response — SRT—

involving targeted SWAT

participation in patrols. The

success of this new program

was touted in the local media.

• The Community R.E.S.E.T.

— Rapid Engagement of Sup-

port in the Event of Trauma.

“The premise behind Commu-

nity R.E.S.E.T. is to restore a

community to its level of nor-

malcy after a shooting, a traffic

accident or any traumatic event

that disrupts the daily life of that

neighborhood,” the chief said.

“But the programs mean noth-

ing without the people,” Chief

Norwood said. “We’ve got to be

together and work together on all

of this to ensure our success

continues.”

Chief Norwood introduced sev-

eral programs in January that the

Department will use to enhance

outreach in the community, in-

cluding Major John Venuti’s

Stop The Pain 804 anti-violence

youth initiative using

music to combat vio-

lence among area

young people.

At the core of the

project is a video pro-

duction that combines real-

life drama and cutting-edge local

music. The video captures the

community speaking about the

effects and impact of violence

on everyone. The Web site —

www.stopthepain804.com —

provides more details and infor-

mation on this important com-

munity project.

Other new Department programs

instituted and planned by Chief

Norwood include:

Chief Bryan T. Norwood: The First 100 Days Leading Richmond Police

Page 3

tion. With SRT, the resource

came in the form of SWAT be-

ing deployed during peak patrol

hours and in targeted areas re-

quiring extra enforcement.

A comparison of Chief Nor-

wood’s first 100 days on the job

to the same period spanning

November 2007 to February

2008 shows the same declines in

the areas of homicides and com-

mercial robberies, as well as

burglaries and motor vehicle

thefts.

Chief Norwood’s first 100 days

shows a dramatic 71 percent

decrease in the number of homi-

cides, down from 14 to four.

The numbers for Richmond Po-

lice for crime reduction in 2008

were phenomenal.

Homicides and commercial rob-

beries led the way with 42 per-

cent and 44 percent declines

respectively.

When he arrived in November

Chief Norwood enhanced the

sector-community policing

model in place with alternative

and directed patrols based on

crime analysis projections.

The chief also implemented SRT

— Support through Rapid Tacti-

cal Response — to utilize avail-

able resources within the Depart-

ment to assist with crime reduc-

number of factors contribute to

these numbers. But a key factor

is the community partnerships

that officers develop and con-

tinue to make inroads in every

neighborhood of the City.

Commercial robberies during

that period are down 17 percent,

burglaries dipped 18 percent and

motor vehicle thefts reduced 16

percent.

The chief is quick to note that a

“Imagine what we could

achieve with the work of

our officers combined

with the army of 250,000

we have right here

in the Metropolitan

Richmond region.”

~ Chief Bryan T. Norwood

Chief Norwood decided to make SWAT a more proactive team rather than a reactive team to situations by utilizing team members’ needed skills to handle incidents during weekend patrols.

Page 4 For more information about Chief Bryan Norwood and Richmond Police, visit our Web site at www.richmondgov.com/police

In the CommunityIn the CommunityIn the CommunityIn the Community

In the Richmond Police DepartmentIn the Richmond Police DepartmentIn the Richmond Police DepartmentIn the Richmond Police Department

Delivering gifts to families of homicide victims Running SunTrust Marathon

Building a Model of Community Policing

Talking with Councilman Chris Hilbert and Commander John Hall in Providence Park

Honoring work of civilian employees monthly Awarding work of sworn officers monthly

Promoting from Promoting from

within the within the

DepartmentDepartment

Joining Mayor Dwight Jones in congratulating Rookie of the Year Celebrating 2008 crime reduction success with leadership of Third Precinct

Discussing Discussing

Fulton Hill Fulton Hill

issues with issues with

Major Peggy Major Peggy

Horn and the Horn and the

mediamedia

Addressing media with Addressing media with

Mayor Dwight Jones Mayor Dwight Jones

during Reedy Creekduring Reedy Creek

walkwalk--throughthrough

Celebrating graduates of 3rd Hispanic Academy