2011 Police Department Annual Report

Roanoke County Police department

2011 Annual Reportwww.roanokecountyva.gov/police

2011 Roanoke County Police Department Annual Report2

In August 2011, I announced my retirement as Police Chief after more than 30 years as a law enforcement officer with Roanoke County. I began my career with Roanoke County in 1979 and rose through the ranks before being promoted to Police Chief in 1997.I am often asked what I miss the most since retiring in November 2011 and my answer is always the same: I miss the sworn officers and civilians who’ve worked tire-lessly to keep the Roanoke County Police Department among the top law enforcement agencies in the country. These are the same individuals responsible for the day-to-day safety and security of Roanoke County citizens and businesses and who maintain the department as a nationally accredited, professional agency.

There are many projects that I’ve had a small hand in accomplishing over the years, such as the Firearms Range, Driver Training Center, and Criminal Justice Academy. It’s my work on behalf of the mentally ill in police work, however, that I hope will be my legacy. The Roanoke County Police Department was the first in Virginia to establish a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program to help our law enforcement officers better understand and deal with per-sons with mental illness. This program has made a difference in Roanoke County, and I hope that other localities around the state will learn about and implement this program in their com-munities as well.

In 2011, the budget continued to be a significant issue facing our department but, once again, our officers found creative ways to keep our essential services intact while preserving as many of our nonessential services as possible. Staff members are to be commended for their hard work and dedication to the department and, more importantly, for their commitment to the security and well-being of more than 90,000 Roanoke County citizens who can rest easy knowing their community is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.

Chief’s Message

Our mission...

The Police Department’s mission is to create an environment wherein the citizens of Roanoke County are safe in their homes and on their streets. The protection of constitutional rights and the highest level of confidence in the department will be attained through a countywide coalition of our citizens and department members. This coalition will also confirm that existing services are evaluated in a proper manner.

The Roanoke County Police Department commits itself to providing excellent traditional law enforcement services while developing and initiating new and innovative approaches to police services.

Ray Lavinder was named Roanoke County’s Police Chief in 1997. In November 2011, he retired as Police Chief after a career spanning more than 30 years with Roanoke County.

Following Chief Lavinder’s retirement, Assistant Chief Terrell Holbrook (left) was appointed Acting Chief and Lt. Chuck Mason was named Acting Assistant Chief.

2011 Roanoke County Police Department Annual Report 3

Inside this Report

CALEA Accredited Agency

The Roanoke County Police Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which issues standards to help strengthen crime prevention, formalize es-sential management procedures, establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices, improve the delivery of services, solidify interagency cooperation and coordination, and boost citizen and staff confidence in the agency.

Contents

About Our Department ..................... 4-5

Uniform Division ................................ 6-11Patrol OfficersTraffic OfficersSchool Resource OfficersK-9 OfficersCommunity PolicingSpecial Weapons And Tactics

Administration .................................. 12-14ServicesBudgetRoanoke County Criminal Justice AcademyInternal AffairsProfessional Standards Unit

Criminal Investigations .................... 15

Training Facilities ................................. 16

Employee Recognition ....................17-18

Goals for 2012-2013 ................................. 19

Department Contacts .....Back Cover


About Our department

Organizational Structure

Visiting Roanoke County’s Police Department The Roanoke County Police Department is headquartered in the Public Safety Center at 5925 Cove Road, Roanoke, Va., 24019. The building is approximately one-half mile from Electric Road, near Interstate 81.

For non-emergencies or to reach a service division, call (540) 562-3265.


2011 By The Numbers

2011 Traffic Summons and Calls for Service

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total

Traffic Summons* 1,309 1,037 1,188 1,182 1,276 1,142 1,086 1,179 888 820 1,213 906 13,226

Calls for Service** 7,907 7,077 7,733 8,342 8,383 8,525 8,128 8,776 8,038 8,034 8,453 8,525 97,921

*Police RMS and AEGIS CAD.**Calls for service include officer-initiated calls in addition to citizens’ calls for service.

Reported Offenses* Total for Year 2011Homicide 0

Forcible Rape 28

Robbery 11

Aggravated Assault 66

Simple Assault 1,201

Burglary 298

Larceny 940

Vehicle Theft 37

Arson 4

Total 2,585

*Virginia State Police Crime in Virginia 2011.

2011 Dispatch Responses* Total for Year 2011Total Alarm Calls Responded 1,744

Total Vehicle Accidents Responded 2,247

*Police RMS and AEGIS CAD.

The Roanoke County Police Department is nationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The Department’s fiscal year 2011-2012 budget was $10.8 million and the current staff level of full-time employees included 140 sworn staff and 13 civilian employees. The Police Department operates a full-service Criminal Justice Academy from within the Police Department and also has a County-owned Driver Training Center and Firearms Range available as resources.

The Police Department is a diverse agency that includes the following divisions:

• Uniform – Patrol, SWAT, K-9, Community Service Officers (Animal Control), Traffic Unit, Community Policing, Bike Patrol, Honor Guard, School Resource Officers, and Crime Scene Technicians.

• Criminal Investigations – General Investigations, Fraud, VICE, and Special Investigations.

• Administration – Professional Standards, Criminal Justice Academy, Internal Affairs, Records, Budget, Vault, Purchasing, and Fleet Maintenance.

The Department is recognized for its professionalism and engages the community in crime solving and community enrichment strategies. The Department is involved in a number of partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies including DEA, ATF and the U.S. Marshals.


Uniform Division

Roanoke County’s Patrol Officers are vigilant in keeping the County’s roads and neighborhoods safe. Patrol Officers have thousands of interactions with citizens each year by responding to calls for service and through self-initiated activities such as vehicle stops, building checks, and disabled vehicle checks. When citizens interact with the Police Department they have most likely been in contact with a patrol officer. In 2011, officers handled more than 97,000 calls for service, ranging from vandalism, theft and simple assault, to more violent crimes against individuals. The department strives to provide each caller with respect, compassion, and a willingness to resolve the issue regardless of the call type.

The department’s dedication to the community was never more evident than in June 2011 when four Roanoke County Police officers worked side-by-side with citizens to save the life of a drowning 4-year-old boy. The child, who had fallen into a swimming pool while playing, wasn’t breathing and did not have a pulse when he was pulled from the pool. Thanks to the quick-thinking actions of the citizens and officers at the scene, the little boy made a full recovery. To thank the citizens for their heroic efforts and cooperation, the department publicly applauded each one at a special ceremony just days later.

Patrol Officers

Uniform Division 2012 Goals At A Glance• Maintain an efficient and effective uniform patrol

response to citizens’ calls for service.

• Provide effective and efficient follow-up investigations.

• Allocate effective resources to control drug related crimes.

• Provide effective training through the Roanoke County Criminal Justice Training Academy to sworn and civilian employees of both the Roanoke County Police Department and Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office.

• Promote Highway Safety.

Outstanding Warrants Posted OnlineRoanoke County Police Department publishes outstanding warrants on its website. If you have information that may lead to the arrest of a person listed, please contact the Roanoke County Police Department.

Outstanding Warrants ............. www.roanokecountyva.gov/warrants

Above, Roanoke County Police officers D. Hogan (left) and B. Zizelman (right) present 9-year-old Julianna Marquez with a token of their apprecia-tion for helping save the life of a drowning 4-year-old boy. Julianna saw the child at the bottom of the pool, jumped in, and pulled him to safety. At left, Sgt. J. Matze is reunited for the first time with 4-year-old Quamir Cooper. Sgt. Matze performed life-saving CPR on the child, who wasn’t breath-ing and didn’t have a pulse when he was pulled from the pool.


Traffic EducationDuring 2011, Roanoke County’s Traffic Unit provided 23 “Why Math Matters” presentations in Roanoke County High Schools. Fourteen were conducted in driver-education classes, eight in physics classes, and one in a math class. The “Why Math Mat-ters” program was developed by the unit to show the inherent dangers of risky driving in a format appropriate for each classroom discipline. The unit presented two large-scale events at the Burton Center for Arts and Technology for students in the justice and auto mechanic programs. Additionally, the unit performed a mock crash at Glenvar High School with the assistance of the Fire & Rescue Department and one of Carilion Clinic’s Life-Guard helicopters. The unit also continued a program with Roanoke County Schools called “Partnering for the Privilege,” a program designed for new drivers and their parents/caregivers.

The unit continued to provide specific traffic safety education programs as requested by private and governmental agencies. The unit also performed large-scale traffic safety presentations at the Vinton Fall Festival for a few thousand attendees. A few hundred middle school students attended three separate daylong presenta-tions by the unit concerning speeding, occupant protection and impaired driving.

Except for the classroom presentations, most of the traffic presentations performed by the unit involved the use of the Department’s mobile traffic safety trailer, and the Department’s “Impaired Driving Cart.”

The Traffic Unit continued oversight of the special-ized traffic enforcement programs. The “Operation Daily Watch” program was continued during 2011 and the first element of the program, “Road of the Day,” continued to place officers in residential and other secondary roadways for focused speed enforcement. The second element of the program, sobriety and license checkpoints on second-ary roads, continued the Department’s efforts to target impaired and unlicensed drivers. The Department conducted 32 sobriety and 25 license checkpoints last year. Of the 57 checkpoints, eight were multi-jurisdictional involving other agencies and 39 were conducted on secondary roads. With its efforts to support “Checkpoint Strikeforce,” the Department continues to be a leader in Virginia due to the number of checkpoints conducted.

During 2011 the Department’s motor carrier safety officers conducted 270 full and 68 walk-around inspections resulting in 96 commercial motor ve-hicles being placed out of service for major safety violations. Most of these safety violations involved braking systems, wheels and steering.

Uniform Division

Roanoke County Police Department continues to be a leader in Virginia traffic enforce-ment due to the number of checkpoints conducted along the County’s roads. Sobriety and license checkpoints continued to target impaired and unlicensed drivers, with 32 sobriety and 25 license checkpoints last year. Eight of these operations were multi-juris-dictional and involved other agencies. Thirty-nine were conducted on secondary roads.


Rape Aggression Defense

In 2011, the Rape Aggression Defense Program (R.A.D.) continued to be a success, with two sessions averaging 20 graduates per class. The Rape Aggression Defense System is a program of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques just for women. Classes offer a comprehensive course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and risk avoidance, then progresses on to the basics of hands-on defensive training. The program is generally held weekly for four weeks. Each session is free and lasts approximately three hours. Participants must be age 14 or older; however, those younger than 18 require parental consent to attend.

Community Policing

Uniform Division

The Roanoke County Police Department prides itself on its innovative and effective approach to crime prevention through the efforts of its various Community Policing programs, including a Neighborhood Watch program that saw increasing interest from the public, a strong and stable Business Watch program tied to the safety of local businesses, and a successful Citizens Police Academy program that educates private citizens on how and why the Roanoke County Police Department carries out its mission of crime prevention and public safety.

In addition, Community Policing officers host presentations to civic groups, church groups and other community-minded organizations. This program continues to grow each year and provides an opportunity to speak one-on-one with citizens to address issues and concerns. This program allows citizens to connect a face with the department and have someone to contact with questions and concerns.

Project Life Saver is another successful Community Policing program that helps reunite missing dementia patients with their loved ones and families.

R.A.D. Classes

Officer E. Orange serves as the primary contact for Roanoke County’s Community Policing program. Of-ficer Orange has delivered hundreds of presentations to Roanoke County citizen groups, students and busi-nesses, with topics ranging from crime prevention to fraud and identity theft.

Find more information about Community Policing programs online at:

www.roanokecountyva.gov/crimeprevention


COPS Camp (Challenging Oppor-tunities for Police and Students) is a week-long overnight camp program organized by the School Resource Officers and held at Camp Roanoke. The camp for rising 6th, 7th and 8th grade stu-dents is largely funded by private donations and allows campers to spend a week with officers enjoy-ing fun activities. Scholarships are awarded to help with the cost for some of the campers.

COPS Camp would not be possible without the support of Roanoke County Schools and the Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism. Activities include traffic safety and awareness programs from local youth prevention and safety organizations and the Roanoke County Traffic Safety Officer. Outdoor activities include a high ropes course, archery, hiking, swimming at Green Ridge Recreation Center, canoeing and other team-building exercises. The 2011 COPS Camp saw an increase in the number of participants from previous years, with 42 middle school students attending the camp.

School Resource Officers (SROs) are an invaluable part of the Roanoke County Police Department. The SRO program is of-fered in cooperation with Roanoke County Schools. There are 10 SROs currently in the program. The five Roanoke County high schools, four middle schools, and Burton Center for Arts and Technology are each staffed with a permanent SRO. Glen-var High School and Glenvar Middle School share an SRO. The SROs also help out at the elementary schools with law related incidents or programs.

SROs provide classroom instruction on law enforcement topics and all officers are trained as instructors for the Virginia Rules Program, an expansion of the Class Action program, an online program offered from the Virginia Attorney General’s Office. During the 2010-2011 school year, SROs led 42 classes in the high school and middle schools.

The Burton Center students, with the assistance of their as-signed SRO, began the construction of a gas house at the Roanoke County Driving and Firing Range in 2011. The house will be used for police department tear gas training.

The SROs are very involved with the community effort to raise awareness of risky behaviors by teens. For the 2010-2011

school year there were 139 incidents reported to the SROs, which resulted in 132 criminal charges. Forty-four of the charges were assault and battery cases and 27 charges were for dis-orderly conduct. These numbers continue to decline steadily through the efforts of the Roanoke County Schools and the Roanoke County Police Department.

School Resource Officers

Uniform Division

School Resource Officers are in full uniform each day, maintaining a public safety presence in our schools while fostering respect for law enforcement.

COPS Camp


K-9 Officers

K-9 Goals for 2012 • Add a certified patrol police service dog and handler

to the K-9 Unit.

• Add a certified narcotics-detection police service dog and handler to the K-9 Unit.

• Enhance the K-9 Unit’s relationship and support within the community by creating a Facebook page dedicated to the Unit and its members as well as conducting Unit demonstrations at local pet stores and community events.

• Enhance handler education by attending K-9 related seminars/schools.

2011 K-9 Officer Activities

Activities Totals

Vehicle Searches 168

Area Searches 2

Patrol Tracking 9

Building Searches 67

Total Searches 246

Public Demonstrations 5

Grand Total Activities 251

In 2011, all K-9 Unit vehicles were replaced with newer model Ford Crown Victoria’s equipped with in-car camera systems and brand new in-car kennels. A drug interdiction team was estab-lished, which included officers from all three Uniform Division shifts that rotated into and out of the team. Due to manpower issues, this team was dissolved but later recreated utilizing Evening Shift officers. This team has proven to be successful in interdicting subjects involved in the use, sale and transport of illegal narcotics in Roanoke County.

Two additional K-9 handler positions were created in 2011 and completed an intensive 12-week narcotics detection course at the Virginia State Police K-9 handler school in Richmond. After training, the officers were added to the team along with their K-9 partners, Moon and Roo.

The K-9 Unit’s monthly training regimen has significantly in-creased in partnership with Roanoke City Police Department’s K-9 Unit and the Virginia State Police. This allows the Roanoke County Police Department’s K9 handlers to establish better working relationships with other jurisdictions’ handlers and con-duct better, more efficient training with additional resources and knowledge. K-9 Alto, a single-purpose bomb detection police service dog, is still in service with the team, but is scheduled to retire during 2012.

An additional Patrol K-9 handler position was authorized and filled in 2011, with the officer slated to attend the next Virginia State Police Patrol K-9 School beginning in fall 2012. An ad-ditional narcotics detection K-9 handler position is still being explored.

Uniform Division

Officer R. Moore and his K-9 partner Ero.


The Roanoke County Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team consists of 16 members from various divisions within the agency.

SWAT is an elite tactical unit, trained to perform high-risk oper-ations. SWAT team duties include: performing hostage rescues and counter-terrorism operations, serving high-risk arrest and search warrants, subduing barricaded suspects, and engaging heavily armed criminals. SWAT teams are often equipped with specialized firearms, riot control agents, and stun grenades.

SWAT members use specialized equipment including heavy body armor, ballistic shields, entry tools, armored vehicles, advanced night vision optics, and motion detectors for covertly determining the positions of hostages or hostage takers inside enclosed structures.

Special Weapons And Tactics

Uniform Division

Community Service Officers

www.roanokecountyva.gov/animalcontrol

During 2011, the Police Department’s Com-munity Service Unit handled 2,920 calls com-pared to 3,056 calls in 2010. A breakdown of the calls revealed 2,284 Community Service Officer calls, 418 wildlife calls, and 218 police calls – most of which were in a support role for the road officers. The Community Service Officers also captured 769 at-large animals, which were either returned to their owners or transported to the shelter for holding.

As of Dec . 31, 2011, the Community Service Unit had nine dogs on the Virginia Danger-ous Dog Registry. Each dog was deemed dangerous in 2011 or earlier and the officers remained responsible for oversight of the initial and yearly registration of each dog. The property of each dog owner was inspected to ensure compliance with Virginia’s regulations for keeping a dangerous dog.

Special Weapons And Tactics officers receive special training in high-risk operations and tactical use of specialized equipment, including body armor, armored vehicles and specialized firearms.

Community Service Officers serve as Roanoke County’s Animal Control unit. In 2011, the unit apprehended 769 at-large animals from the community and respond-ed to 418 wildlife calls from residents.


Administr ative Division

2011 Service Division Activities At A GlanceCases reported and processed 5,045

Reported traffic crashes 1,180

Summonses entered and processed 13,226

Arrests processed (adults) 3,651

Arrests processed (juveniles) 297

Emergency custody & temporary detention orders served 230

Total protective orders 960

Concealed handgun permits processed 939

Background checks requested 306

Insurance requests processed 1,092

The Police Department’s Services Division is the record-keeping and processing center of the Roanoke County Police department. Each year, staff processes thousands of documents, produces reports for state and federal programs, and handles Freedom of Information requests received by the department.

In fiscal year 2010/11, the Department identified a pressing need in the storage and processing of digital media. Department members examined ways to effectively and efficiently upgrade the digital media storage systems and processes to maximize space and resources. This project is expected to become a reality in the upcoming fiscal year.

Also in this past year, the Records Unit realized some relief with the addition of one part-time warrants clerk and one full-time records clerk. Staffing levels of the Records Unit had remained fixed since the Department’s inception in 1990. However, an increase in staffing of patrol officers over the same period combined with an increase in calls for service, reports, citations and information requests, significantly taxed the existing staff.

The County has since adopted a proposal to increase the division’s personnel to offset the added demands in both the Records Unit and Warrants arena, a welcome relief. In addition, Services Division staff also maintains mobile computer terminals in patrol cars and other key technologies that keep officers connected with the information they need to do their jobs more efficiently.

Four-Year Budget Comparisons

Budget Category Fiscal Year 2009/2010

Fiscal Year 2010/2011



Personnel $9,027,429 $8,972,249 $8,972,249 $9,220,340

Operating $1,177,255 $1,196,845 $1,196,845 $1,093,846

Capital $832,077 $728,404 $728,404 $728,404

TOTAL $ 11,036,761 $10,897,498 $10,897,498 $11,042,590

Services Division

Services Division staff maintains the mobile computer terminals in the depart-ment’s patrol cars, ensuring that officers on the street are connected with vital information whenever and wherever it is needed.


Roanoke County Criminal Justice AcademyOpportunity and diversity were the markers for training opportunities in 2011. The Academy offered a variety of contemporary speakers and practical courses to aid the development of officers within the Department and its client agencies.

A highlight in 2011 was the opportunity to host Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. Lt. Col. Grossman is a recognized and revered law enforcement trainer. During his one-day Bulletproof Mind course, Lt. Col. Grossman, managed to inspire and motivate a full classroom of seasoned criminal justice practitioners.

The Academy offered a variety of courses, in-cluding homicide investigation, first line super-vision, post traumatic stress disorders, driver training, instructor development and more. Two other standout training opportunities that proved to be well received were the one-day Sovereign Citizens Course and another course on the problems associated with methamphet-amine spreading throughout communities in Virginia.

Beyond career development opportunities the Academy was also actively engaged in train-ing new officers. In 2011, the Academy hosted four jailor and two law-enforcement basic-training sessions. The sessions have seen changes in teaching style and in content of the defensive tactics, firearms and the physi-cal training programs. These changes have proven to reduce injuries, improve student retention and develop continuity of terms used among several instructional disciplines.

2011 Academy Graduations Classes GraduatesBasic Law Enforcement 2 19

Basic Jailor 4 39

Basic Dispatch 2 7


One class of 2011 Roanoke County’s Criminal Justice Academy’ graduates from the Law Enforcement program with their instructors.

Roanoke County Criminal Justice Academy recruits endure an intense physical training regimen along with classroom studies on law enforcement techniques.

Find more information about Roanoke County Criminal Justice Academy online at: www.roanokecountyva.gov/rccja



Internal Affairs

Nature of Complaints Total Reported

Neglect of Duty - Misfeasance 2

Insubordination 1

Conduct Unbecoming 2

Domestic Assault 2

Demeanor 1

Untruthfulness 1

Assault and Battery 1

Total 10

Outcomes of Complaints Totals

Sustained Complaints 4

Not Sustained Complaints 6

Under Investigation/Outcome Pending 0

Total 10

Outcomes of Sustained Complaints Totals

Resignation 3

Suspension and Demotion 1

Totals 4

The Department strives to ensure that the citizens of Roanoke County have the most professional police force possible. To that end, the Department examines the actions of employees who are involved in complaints of misconduct. The Department takes a proactive approach to investigating all such complaints. The information below is from the period beginning Jan. 1, 2011 and ending Dec. 31, 2011. A single complaint/investigation may involve more than one officer, and as a result there may be multiple outcomes for a single investigation. There were a total of 10 complaints registered against Department members in 2011, with an average investigation time being 16 days. The shortest investigation was completed in two days and the longest took 72 days.

Professional Standards UnitThe recruitment and selection of new officers is an ongoing effort within the Department’s Professional Standards Unit (PSU), which through a compre-hensive selection process strives to ensure the very best candidates are hired. From the closing of the application to completion of training, it takes the better part of a year to put a fully trained officer on the streets. The Basic Law Enforcement Class for new recruits is 23 weeks, followed by a 12 weeks of field training. This level of training is required in the development and growth of a competent and professional workforce. Though the selection, recruitment and training time are essential, satisfying these requirements hampers the agency in responding quickly to declines in staffing levels. The Department is authorized to over hire to address that problem, but any over hires must be accomplished within the Department’s existing budget.

In the past year, the Department worked to strengthen its recruitment and retention of qualified officers. The Department expanded its recruitment efforts by working with Roanoke Valley Television to create public service announcements and produce segments for “Roanoke County Today” designed to show the positive aspects of a career in law enforcement. The Department also worked with the County’s Public Information Office to create brochures and flyers to distribute on college campuses and at job fairs. In addition, the Department launched Facebook pages for the Police Department and Criminal Justice Academy as informal surveys conducted by staff revealed that young people considering a career in law enforcement often turn to a locality’s website and Facebook pages to learn more about what the Department has to offer. The County’s adoption of the computer application NeoGov for its applicant man-agement processes was an added benefit in monitoring and managing all aspects of selection and hiring.


The detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division are responsible for the investigation of most of the serious felo-ny crimes committed against persons or property in the County. Generally, over half of the crimes investigated by CID detectives in a year are cleared by arrests or other means – in 2011, 55.8% of the cases were cleared.

The detectives in CID are divided into four units:• The Fraud Unit investigates credit card theft, forgeries, em-

bezzlement, identity theft, scams, and similar offenses.

• The Special Investigations Unit investigates sex offenses committed against children and adults, child and elder abuse, and serious domestic violence crimes.

• The General Investigations Unit detail investigates burglar-ies, armed robberies, motor vehicle thefts, and a host of other crimes not covered by the Fraud or Special Investiga-tions details.

• The Forensics Unit processes major crime scenes for physical evidence and performs forensic examinations of computers and other digital devices seized pursuant to criminal investigations.

Criminal Investigations

Criminal Investigations Statistics for 2011Unit Assigned Cleared Clearance Rate

General Investigation 312 109 34.94%

Fraud 148 120 81.08%

Special Investigation 74 69 93.24%

Totals 534 298 55.81%

Roanoke County Crime Reports OnlineThese reports are updated each week by the Roanoke County Police Department with data broken down by police district.

Calls for Service ............. www.roanokecountyva.gov/callsforserviceReported Offenses .....www.roanokecountyva.gov/reportedoffenses

In addition to conducting investigations, detectives teach inves-tigative techniques to recruits and train experienced officers in advanced crime scene methods. The department’s detectives also coordinate with prosecutors in the Commonwealth’s Attor-ney’s Office to prepare for cases and work closely with Depart-ment of Social Services caseworkers in cases where children and the elderly have been victimized.

Because criminal offenders don’t confine their criminal activi-ties to a single jurisdiction, detectives regularly meet and share information with investigators from nearby localities and state and federal agencies. In these meetings, officers identify known perpetrators who may be committing crimes in multiple juris-dictions and discuss new patterns of criminal activity that may affect the surrounding area.

During 2011, Detective Chris Welch was honored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for his role as lead investigator in a murder/abduction investigation that began in Dec. 2010, in which the 12-year-old daughter of a mur-dered Roanoke County woman was successfully located in San Francisco.


Tr aining Facilities

As part of their comprehensive training, Roanoke County Criminal Justice Academy recruits practice vehicle pursuit at the Laurel Mountain Driving Center in Western Roanoke County.

Roanoke County is fortunate to have a place where much of its law enforcement training needs can be met. The Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Roanoke County Criminal Justice Academy and Western Virginia Regional Jail do much of their driver and firearms training at a County-owned site near Dixie Caverns.

The Firearms Training Center includes one walk-down 25-yard range for handguns, one walk-down 50-yard range for handguns, patrol rifles and shotguns, and one walk-down 100-yard range for rifle use. The site, which was remodeled in 2010, also includes obser-vation towers for the 25 and 50-yard ranges and sheltered pavilion areas. A turning target system put in place a number of years ago was retrofitted and continues to be utilized. Construction for a training building to utilize non-live fire training began in fall 2010 and is scheduled to be completed in 2012.

The Laurel Mountain Driver Training Center is a Vir-ginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) approved facility for training law-enforcement officers in the proper and safe methods of handling vehicles in a variety of road conditions. Originally built for use by Roanoke County, the 30-acre training center includes a paved roadway, skid pad, class¬room, and garage for minor maintenance and repairs. The center is the only training facility of its kind west of Richmond.


Employee Recognition

Uniform Division Officer of the Year: Officer Brock NewtonBrock Newton has been with the department since 2009. He was selected as the 2011 Officer of the Year for the Uniform Division by his peers. Officer Newton had 162 arrests in 2011 and wrote 192 traffic summonses. During 2011, Officer Newton played an important part in the Department’s efforts to combat the rising problem of methamphetamine in the County. He has aided the Vice Unit by providing intelligence for them to use in their cases. He developed probable cause for five search warrants in various cases, including at least one meth lab and a burglary series. Officer Newton was described by his supervisor as one of the best officers we have.

Rookie of the Year: Officer Daniel BruchOfficer Bruch has been with the Department since 2010. Officer Bruch was nominated by his peers as the Uniform Division Rookie Officer of the Year. Officer Bruch maintains above average activity on his shift and was recognized in 2011 for a large heroin bust, which he developed from a routine call for service. On Oct. 4, 2011, he responded to a 911 hang-up call at a house. When the resident came to the door Officer Bruch noticed that he was sweating profusely and that there was white powder under his nose. Officer Bruch obtained consent to search the house and found 379 bags of heroin valued at over $18,000. He has been described as being tenacious in his investigations and is always willing to help others.

Special Operations Officer of the Year: Officer Shaun Chuyka Officer Chuyka has been with the department since 2004. Officer Chuyka is currently assigned to the Traffic Enforcement Unit. During 2011 Officer Chuyka arrested 18 impaired drivers, served 1,290 summonses, and completed haz-mat and motor carrier training. He conducted 83 commercial vehicle inspections in 2011. Officer Chuyka was described by his supervisor as having developed in 2011 from simply a traffic officer to a leader within the traffic unit, planning specialized enforcement activities and motivating other officers to follow suit. Officer Chuyka has shown great flexibility in his schedule to meet the needs of the department based on the mission details given to him.

Above (L-R): Officer B. Newton, Acting Police Chief Terrell Holbrook, with Acting Assistant Police Chief Chuck Mason.

Lifesaving Award: Sgt. Jay Matze, Officer Darin Hogan, and Officer Ricky Moore Sgt. Jay Matze, Officer Darin Hogan and Officer Ricky Moore were nominated to receive the Life Saving Award based on their actions in June 2011. The three worked side-by-side with citizens to save the life of a drowning 4-year-old boy. The child, who had fallen into a swimming pool at an apartment complex while playing, wasn’t breathing and did not have a pulse when he was pulled from the pool by another child. Thanks to the quick-thinking actions of the citizens and officers who arrived at the scene, the little boy made a full recovery.

Above (L-R): Officer S. Chuyka, Acting Police Chief Terrell Holbrook, with Acting Assistant Police Chief Chuck Mason.

Above (L-R): Officer D. Bruch, Acting Police Chief Terrell Holbrook, with Acting Assistant Police Chief Chuck Mason.

At left, (L-R): Sgt. J. Matze, Officer D. Hogan, Officer R. Moore and Julianna Marquez were honored at the American Red Cross Roanoke Valley Chapter Celebration of Heroes Event for their efforts in saving a 4-year-old boy from drowning.


Employee Recognition

Leadership Award: Sgt. Dwayne A. CromerSgt. Dwayne Cromer has been with the Department since 1995. Sgt. Cromer was nominated for the leadership award by members of the Department at large. Sgt. Cromer has been very involved in the Department’s training program for many years as a defensive tactics instructor, Monadnock expandable baton instructor, and incident command instructor. He teaches DUI, standardized field sobriety and other classes, as well. Sgt. Cromer was selected by members of the department, one of whom said, “He gets as many DUIs and writes as many tickets as the rest of his troops and sets a great example for everyone else. He answers calls and is not afraid to get his hands dirty.”

Civilian Of the Year: Melody GraboyesMs. Graboyes has been an employed with the Department since 2010 and is currently assigned to the records division as a records technician I. Ms. Graboyes was nominated by her peers to receive the Civilian Employee of the Year Award. Some of her achievements include cross training in four of the five areas necessary to advance to records technician II and helping to re-organize the warrants section into a more efficient and highly functioning unit. Ms. Graboyes was described by her supervisors as a motivated and valuable employee. She has shown initiative and gone above and beyond her everyday job duties.

Criminal Investigations Detective of the Year: Tom KincaidDetective Kincaid has been with the department since 1986. Detective Kincaid has consistently produced the most cases in his unit. He is highly motivated, shows great initiative, and is very diligent in pursuing his investigations. He is described as being able to talk to anybody and can develop a rapport with people almost instantly. He is organized and methodical in his investigations. He had 62 active cases in 2011. Detective Kincaid keeps up with his cases and sees them through. Through his contacts in other agencies, he has been able to develop and work cases efficiently across jurisdictional boundaries. Detective Kincaid has been an asset to the depart-ment and his unit during 2011 and throughout his career.

Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce AwardsEvery other month, the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce recognizes the work of one of Roanoke County’s police officers.

Chamber of Commerce Awards for 2011Jan-Feb. Officer J. Taylor Mar-Apr. Officer M. SpaldingMay-June Officer E. ChidesterJul-Aug. Officer J. MusserSep.-Oct. Officer D. BruchNov.-Dec. Officer B. NewtonRoanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce 2011 Officer of the Year: Police Officer J. Musser

Above (L-R): Melody Graboyes, Acting Police Chief Terrell Holbrook, with Acting Assistant Police Chief Chuck Mason.

Above (L-R): Det. T. Kincaid, Acting Police Chief Terrell Holbrook, with Acting Assistant Police Chief Chuck Mason.

Above (L-R): Sgt. D. Cromer, Acting Police Chief Terrell Holbrook, with Acting Assistant Police Chief Chuck Mason.


department Goals for 2012-2013

Maintain an efficient and effective uniform patrol response to citizens’ calls for service.

• Maintain at most a five-minute response to emergency calls for service.

• Maintain at most an 11 minute response time to non-emer-gency calls for service.

• Hire and train officers to ensure that the workforce available for unrestricted assignments remains at or above 95% of authorized strength (133 for authorized strength of 140).

• Host one Crisis Intervention Training and enroll no less than six uniform patrol officers.

Provide effective and efficient follow-up investigations of serious crimes.

• Exceed calendar year 2010 national average clearance rate of 47.2% for violent crimes with a clearance rate of at least 55%.

• Exceed calendar year 2010 national average clearance rate of 18.3% for property crimes with a clearance rate of at least 22%.

• Criminal cases assigned to personnel in the Special Inves-tigations Unit (handling serious domestic violence and child victimization) would achieve no less than a 95% conviction rate.

• Maintain a clearance rate of at least 45% in the white-collar crime unit.

Provide effective training through the Roanoke County Criminal Justice Academy (RCCJA) to sworn and civilian employees of the Roanoke County Police Department, Roa-noke County Sheriff’s Office and Western Virginia Regional Jail Authority.

• Maintain no less than three internal staff members: one lieutenant, one assistant director and one office support specialist to administer and oversee all academy training operations.

• Explore potential of a stand-alone facility to house the RC-CJA.

• Provide all entry level training in both law enforcement and jailor programs to satisfy the staffing requirements of

the police, sheriff’s department and the Western Virginia Regional Jail Authority.

Promote highway safety through awareness, education and enforcement.

• Maintain an emphasis on enforcement of impaired driving through aggressive targeting of drivers who have con-sumed alcohol and/or drugs.

• Continue the Operation Daily Watch Traffic Enforcement Program.

• Conduct at least 25 sobriety checkpoints.

• Conduct selective enforcement in areas with higher fre-quencies of traffic infractions.

• Conduct at least 15 license check points in residential areas.

• Continue to educate the public concerning traffic safety.

• Provide 30 traffic safety presentations for Roanoke County high school students per year, including five “Partnering For the Privilege” programs.

• Conduct at least 15 presentations with the Sobriety Golf Cart.

• Conduct at least 15 crash presentations with the crash car display.

• Continue to support the Blue Ridge Regional Crash Inves-tigation Team efforts to conduct crash reconstructions and traffic safety presentations through regional cooperation.

• Continue to support the YOVASO (Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety) program by conducting training sessions and presentations through regional cooperation.

Accomplish our mission statement using contemporary professional business practices.

• Ensure that the accreditation manager participates in no less than one CALEA Conference within the year.

• Annual total of sustained complaints against employees should not exceed 5% above the average of sustained com-plaints from the three preceding years.

• Ensure the workload levels within the records unit, vice unit and warrants function are supported by sufficient staffing levels to accomplish their respective tasks.

department Contacts

Dial 911 for EmergenciesFor Non-Emergencies, call (540) 562-3265.

Administration (540) 777-8601

Animal Control (540) 777-8606

Crime Prevention Specialist (540) 777-8651

Criminal Investigations (540) 777-8641

Dispatch Non-Emergency (540) 562-3265

Evidence Vault/Property Room (540) 777-8616

Professional Standards Unit (540) 777-8680

Records Unit (540) 777-8605

School Services Unit (540) 777-8647

Traffic Unit (540) 777-8649

Uniform Division (540) 777-8610

Vice Unit (540) 777-8624

Warrants (540) 777-8617

Services and Division Directorywww.roanokecountyva.gov/police

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Documents

2011 Police Department Annual Report