United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police

United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police

Infobox Law enforcement agency
agencyname = United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police
nativename =
nativenamea =
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commonname = Veterans Affairs Police
abbreviation =
patch = United States Veterans Affairs Police.jpg
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formedyear = 1973
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preceding1 = VA Protective Service (1930)
dissolved =
superseding =
employees = 2,800+
volunteers =
budget =
nongovernment =
country = United States
countryabbr =
federal = Yes


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legaljuris = Veterans Affairs medical facilities
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police = Yes
speciality = property, and its occupation
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headquarters = Washington, DC
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minister1name =
minister1pfo =
chief1name = Kevin F. Doyle
chief1position = Acting Director
parentagency = United States Department of Veterans Affairs
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website = http://www1.va.gov/OSLE/page.cfm?pg=3
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The United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police is the uniformed police service of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, responsible for the protection of the VA hospitals and other facilities operated by United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Health Administration.

The VA Police is a law enforcement agency with full authority to enforce laws and rules and regulations and make arrests on VA property. VA Police officers make arrests and transport offenders to and from county jails and federal courthouses under the direction of the United States Marshal Service. VA Police operate throughout the United States under the direction of individual facility directors. The VA Police occasionally provide Executive Protection services for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and comprise over 2800 appointed personnel.

History

The Veterans Administration was founded in 1930. The VA Protective Service was established that year and was charged with maintaining order, protecting persons and property, and ensuring fire safety. As the VA evolved, the fire safety role was turned over to the Engineering Service and the Protective Service became a security guard force (OPM GS 0085 series).

By a 1973 federal law, the guard force was abolished and the VA Police (0083 series) was established. The President and Congress made this decission due in part to the changing needs of the VA and an increase in police-related matters not ususally handled by a guard force or community law enforcement agencies.

Line-of-duty deaths

Seven officers of the VA Police have died in the line of duty: [" [http://www.odmp.org/agency/3959-united-states-department-of-veterans-affairs-police-u.s.-government United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police] ." The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.]
*Marvin C. Bland, age 34, was killed in an automobile accident on September 6, 1985, while responding to a fire alarm at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts.
*Mark S. Decker, age 31, and Leonard B. Wilcox, age 37, were shot and killed on January 31, 1986, while attempting to question a suspicious man at the Brecksville VA Hospital in Brecksville, Ohio. Both Decker and Wilcox were "armed only with mace due to administrative guidelines. While the officers were talking with the man he pulled out a .45 caliber handgun and shot Officer Decker, killing him instantly. Officer Wilcox attempted to run for cover, but the suspect chased him before shooting him as well." The killer was sentenced to two life terms for the murders.
*Ronald Hearn, age 49, was shot and killed on July 25, 1988 at the Bronx VA Hospital in New York City. The alarm was set off when a man walked through the metal detector; when Hearn approached the man, he pulled out a gun and shot Hearn, who was wearing a vest but was shot between the two panels. At the time of Hearn's death VA Police were not supplied vests.
*Garry A. Ross, age 41, died from a heart attack on December 24, 1990 at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C.. Ross died after responding to a call of a mentally deranged patient, who assaulted him several times. Ross suffered a massive heart attack after he restrained the patient.
*Horst Harold Woods, age 46, was shot and killed on January 10, 1996, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Woods had approached a man kneeling beside his patrol car; when Woods approached him from the opposite side of the car, the man stood up, exchanged words with Woods, and then shot him in the back of his head as Woods turned away. The man was arrested later the same day. The suspect was arrested a short time later by Air Force Security Forces at Kirtland Air Force Base, where he was found with "two extra fully loaded clips, an 18-inch bowie knife and a long-barreled Derringer loaded with two shotgun shells."
*Jose Oscar Rodriguez-Reyes, age 53, was shot and killed on April 24, 2002 while stationed at a gate at the VA Medical Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Rodriguez-Reyes was attacked by two men for unknown reasons and shot in the head and chest. The two attempted to steal Rodriguez-Reyes' service weapon but were unable to remove it from the holster. Rodriguez-Reyes was the first armed VA Police officer to be killed in the line of duty. Two suspects were arrested by the FBI. Charged with murder, the suspect who shot Rodriguez-Reyes was convicted in July 2006.

Personnel

The majority of VA Police applicants must either have a minimum of two years of experience in law enforcement with arrest authority (in federal, state, municipal, or military police), or have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Applicants must also undergo a physical examination, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) psychological evaluation and background investigation.

Upon selection, VA Police Officers go through a basic five-week training course at the VA Law Enforcement Training Center (LETC) in Little Rock, Arkansas to supplement training most have already received in previous occupations. Additionally, VA Police Officers receive continuous in-service and specialized training.

VA Police Officers are certified in CPR (as first responders), use of pepper spray, the PR-24 police baton, and the Beretta 92D 9 mm firearm.

Like the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the VA Police are not members of the Law Enforcement Retirement System (LERS), and do not enjoy the same retirement benefits as most other federal law enforcement officers. Legislation has been proposed to change this (HR 1002), but the last effort failed to make it out of committee in the 109th Congress. The legislation is expected to be reintroduced in the 110th Congress.

References

External links

* [http://www1.va.gov/OSLE/ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Security and Law Enforcement home page]
* [http://www.usvapd.com USVAPD.com] - unofficial website ran by VA Police personnel


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