newport news police department
TRANSCRIPT
Newport News
Police Department
A Look Inside
Department Foundation
21st Century Policing
1. Building Trust and Legitimacy
2. Policy & Oversight
3. Technology & Social Media
4. Community Policing & Crime Reduction
5. Training & Education
6. Officer Wellness & Safety
CALEA Tri-Arc Award Recipient (1 of only 22 agencies in the country)
A CALEA accreditation is a means for developing or improving upon an agency’s
relationship with the community. CALEA accreditation strengthens an agency’s accountability,
both within the agency and the community, through a continuum of standards that define
authority, performance, and responsiveness.
Recruiting/Vetting
1. Application Process
2. Department Notification
3. Video Scenarios—Teacher’s Review
4. Social Media Search
5. Polygraph Interview
6. Psychological Evaluation
7. Ride Along—with feedback
8. Home Visit
9. Panel Review
10. Chief’s Interview
11. Six Months in Academy
12. Three Months of Field Training & 18 Months on Probation
ARE OFFICERS FORBIDDEN FROM
SHOOTING AT MOVING VEHICLES?
Officers may fire at moving vehicles only if their
lives or other lives are in immediate danger, and
as a last resort. They are expected to try to
move out of the way and should be cognizant of
other individuals inside the vehicle.
ARE POLICE OFFICERS IN NEWPORT
NEWS BEING TRAINED TO
DE-ESCALATE ALTERCATIONS BY
USING PEACEFUL CONFLICT
RESOLUTION STRATEGIES?
Yes. The best asset we have is our
presence, demeanor, and voice, meaning,
how we talk to citizens. Officers are
trained in de-escalation techniques and
tactics.
ARE OFFICERS REQUIRED TO GIVE A
VERBAL WARNING TO CIVILIANS BEFORE
DRAWING THEIR WEAPON OR USING
EXCESSIVE FORCE?
Officers are not permitted to use excessive
force. They are only allowed to use the
minimum amount of force needed to effect the
arrest or bring the situation under control.
Officers are not required to give a verbal
warning before drawing their weapon, but
should only draw their weapons in times of
possible threats or life-threatening situations.
Frequently Asked Questions
DOES THE NEWPORT NEWS POLICE
DEPARTMENT UTILIZE
CHOKEHOLDS?
No. Officers do not utilize any type of
chokehold or restraint and this is spelled
out clearly in our Use-of-Force Policy.
ARE OFFICERS REQUIRED TO REPORT
EACH TIME THEY THREATEN OR USE
FORCE?
We do not train officers to threaten citizens.
Each time force is used, there is a Use-of-Force
Report completed and submitted through their
chain of command and then to the Use-of-Force
Review Board, where Newport News citizens are
members.
HOW DOES HAVING MORE SUPERVISORS
BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY?
The Newport News Police Department has
recently increased supervision to be more
equitable to our officers. Evidence shows that
the sooner a supervisor arrives on scene
complaints and use-of-force incidents decrease.
ARE NEWPORT NEWS POLICE
OFFICERS OUTFITTED WITH BODY
WORN CAMERAS?
Yes, all 460 officers on the Newport News
Police Department have body-worn
cameras.
ARE POLICE OFFICERS IN NEWPORT
NEWS REQUIRED TO INTERVENE IF
THEY WITNESS ANOTHER OFFICER
USING EXCESSIVE FORCE?
Officers are required to report misconduct
(which would include excessive force),
however we did not spell out that officers
have a duty and are expected to intervene.
After reviewing our policy and hearing
citizen concerns, we revised our existing
policy to include the duty to
intervene on June 6, 2020.
DOES THE NEWPORT NEWS POLICE
DEPARTMENT CONDUCT “NO-KNOCK”
SEARCH WARRANTS?
When doing search warrants we do not do or
teach no-knock search warrants. And any time
we make an entry we will announce who we are
and what we’re doing.
Community Action
Community Walks
C.A.R.E. Walks
Homicide Support Group
Community Youth & Outreach Division
Young Adult Police Commissioners
Officers adopting Elementary Schools
Facebook Live Chief Updates
Youth Forums
Domestic Violence Advocates
Faith Leaders Meetings
Citizens United for Action
Weekly Compstat & Intel Meetings
Citizens on Promotions Panel
Citizens on Use-of-Force Review Board
De-Escalation Training
Anti-Bias Based Policing
Procedural Justice
Project Guardian
Cultural Diversity Training
Community Week in Training Academy
Citizen Police Academies
Scenario Based Training
Boys & Girls Club events (Basketball league/Kickball League)
Where Do We Go From Here?
1. Review questions on polygraph
2. Dispatch sergeants to high-priority calls
3. Partner with mental health professionals
4. Expand training on:
Autism
Critical Incident Training (CIT)
De-escalation
Anti-Biased Based Policing
Cultural Diversity Training
CONNECT WITH US
www.NNVA.gov/Police
9710 Jefferson Ave.
Newport News, VA 23605
Non-Emergency Dispatch: (757) 247-2500
Anonymous Tip Line: 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887)
“The Newport News Police Department has a long history of
community policing. It is our foundation. As we strive to be the best
department in the country, we will continue to be progressive, creative, and
professional. We are going to build on community interactions, our
relationships with youth, and partnerships with outside professionals to be
the department of choice, not only for new officers, but for our
citizens.” Chief Steve Drew