The national accreditation for public safety communications has been awarded to Richmond’s 911 agency.

The Richmond Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) received the national Public Safety Communications Accreditation on May 4 from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA).

“The CALEA accreditation validates what we already know – that the City of Richmond has dedicated and well-trained public safety professionals who are ready, willing and able to assist our residents with emergency response communication when they need us the most,” said Mayor Levar M. Stoney. “I’m proud of our DEC team for this impressive achievement.”

Through the multi-year accreditation process, the department voluntarily demonstrated how it meets international best practices in public safety and professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery. It completed a self-assessment phase and a meticulous site-based assessment in October 2018 of community engagement, policy, procedures, equipment and facilities by CALEA assessors.

“The accreditation process has evolved Richmond DEC from a good emergency communications center to a great center,” said Director Stephen M. Willoughby. “CALEA’s benchmarks will help ensure that we remain a high-performance organization that provides superior service to those who live, work and play in the city of Richmond,” he said.

The accreditation was awarded during the CALEA conference, May 1-4, 2019, in Huntsville, Alabama. Willoughby and Tory Maye, deputy director of operations; Jackie Crotts, deputy director of technology; and Kathy Berg, emergency communications manager, accepted the accreditation, after appearing before CALEA’s 21-member Board of Commissioners that reviewed all findings and determined its accreditation status.

This is DEC’s first award of national accreditation. It now moves into CALEA’s four-year accreditation cycle that includes four annual remote, web-based file reviews and a site-based assessment in the fourth year.

“This award of accreditation does not come easy,” said CALEA President Anthony Purcell. “The Richmond Department of Emergency Communications went through a rigorous review and evaluation of their organization and then implemented the necessary policy and procedure changes. The process does not stop now. By voluntarily choosing to seek CALEA accreditation, DEC commits to an ongoing review of adherence to CALEA’s standards. The Richmond community should feel confident that DEC is going above and beyond and operating under the highest standards in public safety.”

CALEA was created in 1979 through the combined efforts of four major law enforcement organizations: The International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriffs’ Association and the Police Executive Research Forum.
 

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) celebrates National Drinking Water Week, May 5 – 11, 2019. “Protect the Source” is the theme for this year’s campaign and provides the opportunity for partners of the American Water Works Association to highlight the vital role water plays in our daily lives and the quality of life we enjoy.

During National Drinking Water Week, representatives from DPU will be serving Richmond’s award-winning water at various water fill stations in the city. The public is invited to stop by one of three displays at the following locations during the week:

• Mon. May 6, 2019 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  City Hall 900 E. Broad St. Richmond VA 23219 (corner of 9th & Broad)
• Wed. May 8, 2019 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – James Center Richmond VA 23219 (corner of 9th & Cary St.)
• Friday, May 11, 2018 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Carytown Richmond VA 23221 (corner of Belmont St. & Cary St)

The City of Richmond is one of Virginia’s largest potable water producers, with a modern Water Plant that has the capacity to treat up to 132 million gallons of water a day from the James River.  Through its RVAH2O initiative, the City does its part to protect this vital source water.

The treatment plant, its 1200 miles of water mains, 6,500 fire hydrants and 13 pumping stations and storage facilities provide drinking water and fire protection to more than 62,000 customers in the City. The facility also provides water to the surrounding region through wholesale contracts with Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover counties and indirectly to Powhatan and Goochland counties.

To schedule a tour of Richmond’s Water Treatment Plant, call DPU’s Public Information Office at (804) 646-1064.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney on Saturday was named an “OUTstanding Virginian” by Equality Virginia for his advocacy, outreach and progressive policies to champion equality for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The mayor was among eight honorees who were recognized Saturday night at Equality Virginia’s 2019 annual dinner.

“Every day we work to make the City of Richmond a welcoming, inclusive and equitable place to live, work and play,” the mayor said. “I am humbled and honored to accept this award from Equality Virginia and grateful for the many contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to building One Richmond.”

Under Mayor Stoney, the city raised its Municipal Equality Index (MEI) score from a 42 to a 94 in 2018 – making it the highest MEI score in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additionally, Richmond was named an MEI All-Star by the Human Rights Campaign for being a city boldly leading the way toward LGBTQ+ equality. The key items that made the score increase possible were:

• Passage of the Human Rights Commission and non-discrimination laws, which protect Richmonders from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, age, economic status, sex, disability, religion, and sexual orientation and gender identity
• Providing transgender-inclusive health benefits for city employees
• Establishing an LGBTQ+ liaison in the Mayor’s Office

Mayor Stoney’s first official act after taking office was to officiate a same-sex marriage. Last year, during LGBTQ Pride Week in Richmond he raised the Pride flag, signifying that ALL are welcome in the City of Richmond. He also installed Virginia Pride artwork by artist Jumper Maybach in his front office.

Later this year, Richmond will host the Diversity Sports Jubilee, a multisport tournament featuring LGBTQ+ athletes from around the world.

To view the Equality Virginia video of Mayor Stoney, click here.

For more information on Equality Virginia, please contact Vee Lamneck, Deputy Director at vlamneck@equalityvirginia.org or call (804) 643 – 4816.

~Scores range from 0 to 100, or failed to good~

The City of Richmond’s Department of Public Works (DPW) is now making Pavement Condition Index Ratings (the PCI Rating) of every street within the city limits available to the public. The interactive map will be updated as paving projects are completed. The PCI Rating is one of several tools the City of Richmond now uses to prioritize and track its paving program and other infrastructure work.
“This is another way we keep the public informed,” said Richmond’s DPW Director Bobby Vincent. “It’s a great tool now available for citizens to use and track the progress of our transportation infrastructure maintenance.”

Other factors that aid in paving prioritization include information about utility projects, economic development projects and closures of streets that play host to multiple special events on an annual basis.
The application is available on the city’s website here.