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Johnson on loan to VUU as Interim Police Chief
Sector 111‘s Lt.Laino has been named Acting Commander at the 1st Precinct while Captain Johnson is serving as Interim Police Chief of the Virginia Union Campus Police until a new VUU chief is hired.
When asked what this position at the private school does to Captain Johnson’s position with the Richmond Police Department, public affairs says that Captain Johnson still on the org chart, still in an RPD uniform, and still getting an RPD paycheck. When asked “Isn’t VUU a private school? Does Richmond have enough police to be loaning ’em out like this?”, Richmond police spokesman Gene Lepley didn’t clarify, but stated that “the RPD has a responsibility to ensure public safety in the city.”
The Times-Dispatch had a piece on this yesterday, and couldn’t get much either:
Richmond police and officials at VUU did not respond when asked whether the university is subsidizing Johnson’s and Bynum’s salaries or a portion of them. City police also would not immediately provide documents spelling out the agreement between city police and VUU.
I hope that Lt. Laino soon drops the “acting” from his title and takes the job on a permanent basis. He has always been here for the community we live in and has shown a genuine concern for our well-being. He shows up for every civic meeting that he is invited to and is always available by phone if the need arises.In the few times I have needed police assistance he has always responded in a very timely fashion and seen the incidents through to resolution. He is a truly great asset to the RPD and deserves the promotion on a permanent basis.
Well, don’t that just bust your chops! With city money so tight the taxpayers are paying the first precinct’s captain to work for a private university…how can that be justified?
Perhaps her absence explains why so little progress has been made recently in the vicinity of Venable Street. RPD needs to focus on the problems existing within a three block radius of the First Precinct rather than loaning leadership to private institutions.
@John do you know the status of this story? Any updates?
I just went over to the ABC store on Broad Street and mentioned to the cashier that our ABC store didn’t carry the product I was looking for. She shot me a look and said she’d never go over to Venable Street. At first I was ticked and insulted, but the more I think about, it I CAN’T BLAME HER! It is atrocious over there and nothing is being done about the open air drug market within a three block radius of the First Precinct.
I have a feeling Capt. Johnson’s absence doesn’t really make that much difference. There seems to be a mentality over here that where there’s no body or bullets, there’s no crime.