Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety

Reporting to the Vice President for Infrastructure Management and Planning, the Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety leads a full-service police department with approximately ten permanent and hourly (part-time) employees and corresponding budget. The candidate must be an experienced leader in law enforcement able to establish effective communication and relations with varied constituencies.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Expertise in law enforcement operations, investigations, and criminal law; Incident Command; and Pro-active community policing.
• Models’ courteous engagement and outstanding customer service with staff and students while ensuring clear and firm adherence to safety principles and laws.
• Experience in cultivating and maintaining relationships, serving as inter-agency liaison with law enforcement, fire and emergency agencies that provide support to the campus.
• Manages the quality professionalism of employees through training, development, and education for personal and professional growth.
• Plans, coordinates, and directs all aspects of department operations.
• Supervises enforcement of laws/ordinances' responding to and directing major calls/occurrences, formulating orders/regulations, developing departmental budget, and controlling expenditures, supervising assigned employees, and providing information and assistance to the public.
• Must have the savvy to build relationships with law enforcement agencies and the media.
• Manages the quality of a full-service police department with approximately ten permanent and hourly (part-time) employees and corresponding; and
• Administers the college's compliance with the Clery Act and its requirements, as well as managing the campus' Environment, Health and Safety programs, and Crisis Intervention.
  
  

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or related field and at least ten years' experience that preferably includes considerable administrative, investigative and patrol experience with a minimum of two years' experience at a command staff level such as a lieutenant, captain or major. Must have excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as thorough knowledge of Local, State and Federal laws. Experience in a higher education public safety or a campus police department is preferred.

Licenses Or Certification Required By Statute Or Regulation

Must have completed a Virginia DCJS certified Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy with current certification as a law enforcement officer with no more than a one-year break in full-time sworn service at time of appointment. Please note that Virginia Commonwealth law does not recognize nor have a reciprocal relationship with Federal Law enforcement certification.

VUU is nourished by its African American and Christian heritage and energized by a commitment to excellence and diversity. Its mission is to: 1) Provide a nurturing, intellectually challenging and spiritually enriching environment for learning; 2) Empower students to develop strong moral values for success; and 3) Develop scholars, leaders, and lifelong learners of a global society.

Established in 1865, Virginia Union University gave newly emancipated slaves an opportunity for education, for establishing a community, and for gaining economic, political, and social advancement. The University is the result of a merger among four historic institutions: Richmond Theological Seminary, Wayland Seminary, Hartshorn Memorial, and Storer College. Richmond Theological Seminary held its first classes at Lumpkin’s Jail, a former holding cell for runaway slaves. The Wayland Seminary was founded in 1865 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society in Washington, DC. Two years later Storer College was founded in West Virginia, and Hartshorn Memorial College opened its doors in 1883 as the first college for African American women in the country. After operating independently for three decades, these notable seminaries joined forces to form Virginia Union University in 1899. Hartshorn Memorial and Storer Colleges would eventually join this Union in 1932 and 1964, respectively.

Located in the heart of Virginia’s capital city, Virginia Union University, a Baptist affiliated private institution, is best known for its world-renowned graduate school of theology. It also offers a broad range of educational opportunities in the liberal arts, teaching, research, science, technology, continuing education, civic engagement, and study abroad. VUU’s commitment to student success has included an emphasis on student engagement and retention, and close interaction between faculty and students, both of which produce a synergy among scholarship, teaching, and learning.

At Virginia Union University®, we consistently search for and create growth opportunities that forge groundbreaking research, state of the art technology, or top-of-the-line curriculum. We welcome and encourage new ideas and processes that positively impact experiences. We require the following core values.

Spiritual Formation , as a faith-based University, we welcome the regular practice of prayer, worship, silence, and mediation that matures one’s relationships, values, and life purpose that lead to ongoing spiritual growth and transformation.

Integrity, we value our commitment to fairness, honesty, and truth reflected in each person’s words and deeds while holding ourselves accountable for our personal and words and actions.

Diversity & Inclusion , as one of the nation’s oldest HBCUs, we value diversity in thought, perspective, and embodiment, trusting that we are stronger when various voices, traditions, and experiences are present.

Excellence, we provide the highest quality of experiences and interactions while remaining flexible, responsive, and open-minded in developing and delivering programs, services, and facilities committed to exceeding the standards of what it means to be Best-In-Class.

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Applications Deadline

Review of candidate materials will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. If you have any questions, please contact Askhr@vuu.edu

The selected applicant may be required to submit to a background investigation. VUU is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other protected class.

For more information about Virginia Union University, visit https://www.vuu.edu/about-vuu