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2018 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 163
Commending the Virginia Capitol Police.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 2, 2018
Agreed to by the Senate, February 8, 2018

 

WHEREAS, the Virginia Capitol Police originated at the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown; and

WHEREAS, in 1618, the Guard, consisting of 10 men, was formed to protect the Governor and was expanded in 1663 to also protect the Council and the Colonial Assembly; and

WHEREAS, the Guard remained an integral part of the executive and legislative processes when the Capitol was moved to Williamsburg in 1699 and when the Capitol was subsequently relocated in 1780 to its current home in Richmond; and

WHEREAS, the Public Guard was established by the General Assembly in 1801 to protect public property in Richmond, giving way in 1869 to the Virginia Capitol Police, as it is currently known; and

WHEREAS, today the Virginia Capitol Police is a multifaceted, progressive agency with varied responsibilities, including the maintenance and 24-hour security of the buildings and grounds of the Capitol and other designated state office buildings and properties in the Richmond area; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Capitol Police is also responsible for the investigation of crimes occurring on these sites, patrolling and manning these properties, enforcing traffic and criminal laws, answering complaints, responding to alarms, promoting community relations and crime prevention, and providing nontraditional police services to state agencies, state employees, and elected officials; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Capitol Police provides numerous services to legislative, executive, and judicial branch agencies in Richmond; keeps the public peace during rallies, demonstrations, civil disturbances, and riots; and has concurrent jurisdiction with law-enforcement officers in Richmond and contiguous counties in cases involving the theft or misappropriation of the personal property of any member or employee of the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Capitol Police provides security to the Governor, the Governor’s family, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Supreme Court justices, the Court of Appeals judges, and the members of the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, immediately following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Virginia Capitol Police put into action a plan that provided measured, responsible, and reasonable protection for the Commonwealth’s seat of government; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, the Virginia Capitol Police became one of less than 20 percent of the eligible law-enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth to earn accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission, a distinguished status that the Virginia Capitol Police continues to maintain; and

WHEREAS, since the creation of the Virginia Capitol Police, its men and women have served with honor, pride, and distinction under extraordinary chiefs of police who have led the force during safe and perilous times; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Capitol Police on the occasion of the agency’s 400th anniversary of providing progressive law enforcement to the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Colonel Anthony S. Pike, chief of the Virginia Capitol Police, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the exceptional service of all Virginia Capitol Police officers, chiefs, and support personnel who have served the Commonwealth over the centuries.