Agency Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Mission and Vision

Mission Statement
The Virginia State Police, independent yet supportive of other law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, will provide high quality, statewide law enforcement services to the people of Virginia and our visitors.
Vision Statement
The Virginia State Police will provide exemplary service to the public and other law enforcement and criminal justice agencies with a highly qualified, diverse workforce that balances service, education, and enforcement to achieve optimal customer satisfaction.
Agency Values

Executive Progress Report

Service Performance and Productivity
  • Summary of current service performance
    In October 2008, the Office of Performance Management and Internal Controls conducted a citizen survey to determine the level of customer satisfaction with department operations. Survey questions were designed to solicit information regarding assistance received from the dispatcher or call-taker, timeliness of response, assistance provided on-scene, follow-up investigation, professional competence, fairness, and overall quality of service. The statewide survey results were slightly lower than the previous year. In fact, the percentage of respondents who rated the overall quality of service as “Excellent” or “Very Good” decreased from 83.1 percent last year to 82.3 percent.

    The following indicates the percentage of respondents who rated service provided by the department as “Excellent” or “Very Good.” (In order to fairly represent results, survey questions marked “Not Applicable” or left blank were not included in the calculations.)

    • Assistance received from call-taker or dispatcher - 84.1 percent
    • Timeliness of arrival - 76.3 percent
    • Assistance provided on-scene - 85.0 percent
    • Follow-up investigation - 73.1 percent
    • Professional competence - 83.4 percent
    • Overall quality of service - 82.3 percent

    Statewide, 94.3 percent of the survey respondents felt they were treated fairly by department personnel.
  • Summary of current productivity
    The Bureau of Field Operations has as its primary responsibility the patrolling of over 64,000 miles of state roadways and interstate highways throughout Virginia. Personnel provide both traffic enforcement and criminal law enforcement. In 2008, Virginia State Troopers assigned to the Bureau of Field Operations:

    • Worked a total of 260,690 staff days patrolling 31,867,016 miles of highway.
    • Responded to approximately 1.32 million incidents.
    • Investigated 37,308 vehicle crashes.
    • Assisted 170,133 stranded or otherwise distressed motorists.
    • Responded to 27,909 requests for assistance from sheriffs' departments, 16,714 requests from police departments and 6,361 requests from other local, state and federal agencies.
    • Made 724,348 traffic arrests, including 223,208 speeding, 86,260 reckless driving and 7,354 for driving under the influence.
    • Made a total of 24,128 criminal arrests.
    • Performed 40,827 in-depth safety inspections of heavy commercial vehicles and placed 9,372 or 23 percent of these vehicles out of service.
    • Made 2,715 crime prevention presentations to 176,000 citizens.
    • Conducted 948 security assessments on businesses and homes.
    • Committed 3,861 man-hours to crime prevention programs and safety seminars.
    • Achieved a 92.6 percent conviction rate for adjudicated cases.
    • Seized 117 illegal weapons.

    The General Investigations Section (GIS) of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation responds to complaints about violations that constitute Class 1, 2 and 3 felonies. Major emphasis is placed on responding to requests from the governor, attorney general, Commonwealth’s attorneys, grand juries, and chiefs of police and sheriffs throughout the Commonwealth. A major priority of the GIS is to provide specialized assistance to local law enforcement agencies. During 2008, GIS conducted 3,634 investigations, of which 1,596 or 44 percent resulted from requests from other law enforcement agencies. GIS special agents made a total of 2,825 arrests.

    The Drug Enforcement Section (DES) of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation was established to provide full-time attention to the enforcement of drug laws in Virginia, and is committed to supporting local law enforcement agencies in their efforts. Seven DES regional field offices perform operational narcotics enforcement investigations, as well as support special operations (undercover, wire intercept, marijuana eradication, etc.) initiated by other law enforcement entities. In 2008, the field offices participated in 5,532 investigations that yielded $22,765,921 in seized narcotics, $5,300,557 in seized currency, and 2,048 persons arrested on 3,110 felony and misdemeanor charges. In addition, 2,050 persons were arrested on 1,480 felony and misdemeanor charges in cases where DES assisted other agencies. DES special agents also seized 55 vehicles and 597 weapons. During 2008, 61 methamphetamine lab safety programs were held and 22 methamphetamine labs were dismantled.

    During 2008, DES participated in 35 federal, state and local multi-jurisdictional task forces, encompassing 120 local jurisdictions. During this period, the multi-jurisdictional task forces participated in 5,522 investigations that accounted for $18,302,532 in illicit drug seizures, $3,313,144 in seized U.S. currency, and 3,036 persons arrested on 3,974 charges. These task forces also seized 66 vehicles and 384 weapons.

    The Commonwealth remains a prime location for the cultivation of the marijuana plant. Virginia’s domestically grown marijuana has the potential for being a major cash crop. With DEA funding, the Department of State Police, along with assistance from other state and local law enforcement agencies, and the Virginia Army National Guard's Reconnaissance Air Interdiction Detachment (RAID) conducted a regular program to eradicate domestically-grown marijuana. In 2008, the State Police and local law enforcement agencies found 13,727 plants in 298 outdoor plots. There were also 5,512 marijuana plants eradicated in 105 indoor growing operations. Marijuana eradication operations resulted in 335 arrests. Seizures included 222 weapons, vehicles, and other personal property valued at $1,013,009. Considering the estimated yield of consumable marijuana from each plant, the cash value of marijuana not reaching the streets as a result of eradication would be in excess of $57 million.

    The Governor’s Initiative Against Narcotics Trafficking (GIANT) mission is to facilitate and assure coordination and cooperation among member agencies. GIANT performed 394 operations during 2008 that resulted in 306 arrests, the seizure of $29,235,000 worth of narcotics, 140 weapons, 21 vehicles, and $63,488 in U.S. currency.

    The diversion of legitimate pharmaceuticals to illicit purposes continues to be a severe problem in Virginia. The Pharmaceutical Drug Diversion agents work with the DEA, the Department of Health Professions, and the Department of Medical Assistance Services, plus local law enforcement agencies to eliminate the diversion of prescription drugs to illicit purposes. During 2008, Drug Diversion received 2,026 complaints of diversion activities throughout the Commonwealth. In responses to these complaints, 1,140 investigations were initiated. A total of 788 persons were arrested on 1,110 charges. A major educational role of Drug Diversion is teaching local law enforcement officials about the extent of the drug diversion problem in their own jurisdictions and what they can do about it. During 2008, 12 presentations were conducted for 373 health care professionals, and six presentations were conducted for 212 individuals in law enforcement.

    The mission of the Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Interdiction Unit (CCIU) is to devote resources and efforts in performing homeland security responsibilities, conduct advanced criminal interdiction investigations, and provide assistance to local law enforcement agencies in communities where the quality of life for its citizens has been negatively impacted by criminal activities. In November 2004, the mission of CCIU evolved to incorporate a new strategic initiative developed to diminish the violence associated with gang-related crimes. The CCIU provides assistance to local law enforcement agencies in identifying gang members and enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth related to gang violence and illegal criminal activities.

    The CCIU participated in City/State Partnerships in six jurisdictions during 2008. As a result of these partnerships, 438 individuals were arrested on 679 charges, 85 weapons were seized, and narcotics valued at $207,232 were seized.

    The primary purpose of the Criminal Intelligence Division (CID) is to identify, document, and disseminate criminal intelligence concerning persons involved in organized crime or terrorism. CID is currently composed of three units and one section – the Analytical Unit, the Research Unit, the Field Intelligence Unit, the Tactical Intelligence Processing System (TIPS) Section, and the Virginia Fusion Center.

    In 2008, the Technical Support Unit received 1,683 requests for service. Of those requests 402 were in support of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Each request was directly related to ongoing criminal investigations, which were supported with the installation of audio and video recording equipment. The unit continues to support significant investigations and uses methods and technologies to assist any requesting law enforcement agency. The unit continues to provide audio enhancement services to all law enforcement agencies, as well as supporting the courts and Commonwealth’s attorneys’ offices through installation and operation of 71 closed circuit television systems for victims of child abuse cases. The Hostage/Barricade Unit program continues to support state and local law enforcement through the deployment of sophisticated technical equipment. The Hostage/Barricade Unit responded to 16 Hostage/Barricade incident requests.

    The Computer Evidence Recovery Unit (CERU) provides assistance to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies with on-scene execution of search warrants for computer-related evidence, evidence recovery through forensic examination, and quarterly training classes in computer search and seizure. In 2008, the CERU completed 109 investigations involving 438 computers and other pieces of digital evidence involving 24,973 gigabytes of data. The CERU also handled Internet fraud complaints and provided 382 hours of instruction on computer crime.

    The Bureau of Administrative and Support Services (BASS) is comprised of civilian personnel as well as sworn employees. The bureau includes the Divisions of Communications, Criminal Justice Information Services, Finance, Information Technology, Personnel, Property and Logistics, and Training. The management of the department's sworn promotional program is also in BASS. Employees in these areas provide the department, especially troopers and special agents in the field, with essential services through their extensive technical and professional expertise.

    The Sex Offender Registry (SOR) is designed to protect the general public, and children in particular, by providing personal descriptive and sentencing information on individuals convicted of certain sex crimes. There were 188,772 searches conducted against the registry for employment-licensure purposes in 2008. During 2008, the Sex Offender Investigative Unit verified the address of 17,350 sex offenders, and initiated 3,300 criminal investigations.

    The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) searches and stores rolled fingerprints and fingerprints recovered from crime scenes. Currently, there are 1,849,728 ten-print fingerprint records in file and 108,319 fingerprints from unsolved crimes in the database; also, the Slap database has 562,477 images and the Palm database has 28,967.

    The Virginia Firearms Transaction Program (VFTP) provides for the approval at the point of sale for all firearms, except antiques, based on the results of a criminal history record information check on the buyer. In 2008, 268,136 firearm transactions were conducted, which is a 19 percent increase in transactions conducted during 2007.

    VCheck is Virginia’s Internet-based Instant Background Check program, which was introduced to all firearms dealers registered with the State Police Firearms Transaction Center (FTC) on August 1, 2006. Approval numbers are generated in instant clearances, while transactions that require review or research are routed to the FTC for processing. During 2008, approximately 70 percent of the total transactions, statewide, were processed via the Internet.

    The Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) system now serves 683 member agencies with 10,655 terminals (an increase of 166 terminals over the number of terminals in 2007). This system processes messages and/or transactions in approximately three seconds. VCIN currently retains Virginia information relating to 48,096 wanted persons, 1,915 missing adults, 14,111 missing children, and 13,492 stolen vehicles. In 2008, VCIN processed approximately 375,000,000 transactions, a decrease of seven percent from 2007 totals. The decrease is the result of the new "Hot Files" system, which can transmit the results of multiple searches back to the requester in one transmission.

    Enabling legislation enacted by the 2007 Virginia Assembly created the Virginia Senior Alert Program. This program, managed by the Criminal Justice Information Service Division, created policy and guidelines for the State Police to publicize an incident of a missing senior adult. When activated, the information is publicized at www.vasenioralert.com and through notifying our media partners. In 2008, the Senior Alert process was activated on five occasions.

    The Information Technology Division operates one of the largest computer centers in state government. Requirements for law enforcement applications are addressed by equipment and software provided by vendors such as Fujitsu Computer Systems, NEC Solutions, UNISYS Corporation, IBM and Sun Micro Systems and Dell Systems. The division operates two separate computer rooms 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

    In 2008, the Live Scan Network was expanded to 408 systems in 321 local law enforcement and civil applicant agencies. More than 279,450 arrest fingerprints were electronically transmitted to State Police in 2008 from local law enforcement agencies. This represents 92.5 percent of the arrest volume in Virginia. Approximately 90 percent of the arrests received electronically at State Police were processed without human intervention.

    In 2008, almost 187,000 applicant prints were processed through the automated applicant system, which reduces the turnaround time from months to days. Over seventy percent of these applicant requests were initiated at Live Scan devices and were processed with minimal human intervention.

    The Finance Division encompasses a wide range of financial functions. It is responsible for preparing, monitoring, and accounting for the department's annual operating budget, which was approximately $286,000,000 for FY2008, including federal grants.

    The Property and Logistics Division is responsible for a variety of property management functions, including the procurement, warehousing, and distribution of more than $28,631,156 in supplies and equipment last year.

    The Property and Logistics Division is also responsible for the management and maintenance of facilities at approximately 100 sites and more than 150 buildings. The renovation of the original State Police Administrative Headquarters building was completed in 2009.

    On July 13, 2004, Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, State Police Superintendent, and Mr. Mark Moon, Vice President and General Manager of Motorola, signed a $329 million contract between Motorola and the Commonwealth of Virginia for the design, construction, and implementation of the Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS). The implementation phase of STARS is now underway.

    There were no trooper trainees hired in 2008. Twelve commercial vehicle enforcement officers (CVEOs) were hired for the 32nd CVEO Basic School.

    During 2007, the Training Division, through the Virginia State Police Academy, provided 6,218 hours of instruction in 351 sessions for 12,430 employees, and 298 students from outside agencies.
Initiatives, Rankings and Customer Trends
  • Summary of Major Initiatives and Related Progress
    After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, law enforcement agencies were forced to meet the informational demands created by the increased focus on terrorism. As a result, the resources needed to provide proactive intelligence operations have increased exponentially, thus compelling law enforcement agencies to consider the concept of a Fusion Center. This concept envisions bringing key critical response elements together in a secure, centralized location in order to facilitate the sharing of counter-terrorism intelligence information. The Governor’s Office and the Secure Virginia Panel adopted this concept, thus creating the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC).

    The VFC is staffed by sworn and civilian personnel twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The Watch Center handles all incoming information to the VFC and classifies, prioritizes, and disseminates real time, pertinent information. Analysts assigned to the VFC review, correlate, analyze, disseminate, and file the information received pertaining to all criminal activity, including terrorism. In addition, the analysts prepare reports, provide in-depth analysis, and support directed intelligence operations related to all crimes and all hazards in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The operation of the VFC greatly enhances the department’s abilities to collect, correlate, analyze, and disseminate all crimes/all hazards intelligence information in a more efficient and effective manner.

    During emergencies, the visiting agency work area in the VFC may be occupied by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, public safety, emergency management, and/or the military in preparation for, or response to, an incident. The VFC personnel will maintain liaison with representatives from these agencies in order to facilitate and ensure communication between the Virginia State Police and those agencies, allowing for a more coordinated response.

    The Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS) was originally conceived to be an upgrade to the Virginia State Police's antiquated 1977 land mobile radio system. As planning progressed, the project evolved into a shared system composed of the twenty state agencies that use two-way radio communication as a regular part of their operations. The implementation phase of STARS is now underway. STARS will be one of the first statewide systems to employ digital trunked technology in the VHF 150 MHz band. It will also be one of the first projects to employ an integrated voice and data land mobile radio architecture, which uses the same mobile radio for both voice and law enforcement computer communications. Virginia will, therefore, have statewide mobile data coverage.

    The department will be using $44.2 million in Purdue Pharma funds in order to:

    • Build a driver training track;
    • Develop the Virginia Intelligence Management System;
    • Build a new garage;
    • Establish a forensic laboratory; and
    • Replace and improve central criminal repositories and support systems.
  • Summary of Virginia's Ranking
    The purpose of the accreditation process is to improve the delivery of law enforcement services by demonstrating that an agency’s operations are in compliance with generally accepted standards. Accreditation requires a comprehensive review of every aspect of the department’s organization, operations, and administration.

    In 1986, the Virginia State Police became the second state law enforcement agency in the nation to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), Inc. In 1991, 1996, 2001, 2004 and again in 2007, the department achieved reaccreditation following an on-site inspection and review by CALEA assessors of the agency’s policies, procedures, and operations. Maintaining accredited status is an on-going project for all accredited law enforcement agencies and requires constant monitoring and periodic updating of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with internationally accepted law enforcement accreditation standards. In December 2004, the department was one of eleven law enforcement agencies in the nation awarded a Certificate of Meritorious Accreditation for successfully maintaining accredited status for over 15 years.
  • Summary of Customer Trends and Coverage
    The population in Virginia is growing and changing. From 1980 to 2000, the population in Virginia increased 32.4 percent. This population increase sparked a dramatic growth in housing. Between 1980 and 2000, the number of housing units in Virginia grew 43.7 percent.

    The aging of the Baby Boom generation will create new challenges for the department. As the elderly population increases, elder abuse and other crimes against the elderly will almost certainly increase. Older drivers may also present problems for the law enforcement community.

    Upon request, the Department of State Police currently provides crime prevention, personal safety, and traffic safety courses to our senior citizens. Trained crime prevention specialists are assigned to division and area offices throughout Virginia, providing programs to various community groups. They have brochures and hand-outs formatted for the elderly to reinforce their program message. The Protect and Respect Intergenerational Mentoring Program was officially launched in May of 2003. It was created to strengthen the Commonwealth’s focus on crime prevention, to reduce elder abuse and victimization, to help eliminate financial fraud and scams targeting seniors, to promote fire safety and teach effective emergency responses, and to provide needed resources to improve the overall quality of life for seniors. Covering more than 30 topics in all, courses are bundled according to regional and local needs to form customized training programs that address the crime prevention needs and safety concerns in each community.

    The Department of State Police will continue to provide pertinent programs to senior groups throughout Virginia to ensure that program objectives are met and that those communities requesting assistance are receiving law enforcement support to the degree necessary in identified problem areas.

    The Department of State Police will continue to monitor all operations to ensure that program objectives are met and that those senior groups requesting assistance are receiving law enforcement support. This will provide senior citizens with a higher degree of confidence that they are safe in their neighborhoods and on the highways and are less likely to become targets for criminal activity.

    Other demographic changes may also impact the department and its operations. Certain minority populations in Virginia are increasing. In 1990, the Hispanic population accounted for 2.6 percent of the total population while the Asian population made up 2.5 percent. In 2007, these figures increased to 6.6 percent and 4.8 percent respectively. Many of these persons do not speak English. The department will need to prepare itself to provide law enforcement services to these growing populations.

    Population growth has increased traffic in Virginia. The number of registered vehicles grew 27.7 percent between 1998 and 2008, while the vehicle miles traveled increased 7.9 percent during this period. As the state has grown, so has the demand for law enforcement services.
Future Direction, Expectations, and Priorities
  • Summary of Future Direction and Expectations
    In order to accomplish its mission and accommodate increased workload, the department needs to increase manpower to levels recommended by approved staffing models. The department anticipates adding approximately 592 sworn employees and 154 support personnel over a six-year period. These personnel would allow the department to address a number of emerging public safety issues. These issues include terrorism, Internet crimes against children, illegal firearms purchases, sex offenders, and identity theft.

    In addition to providing traditional law enforcement services, law enforcement agencies now have to prepare for potential terrorist incidents. By managing terrorism intelligence through the Virginia Fusion Center and Joint Terrorism Task Forces and providing terrorist incident response with the Homeland Security Division, the Department of State Police will be able to provide the highest level of protection to the citizens of Virginia.

    The use of computers and the Internet to exploit children is an increasing problem that is currently under policed. The department needs to establish a proactive Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit to protect children across the state, deter Internet predators, and successfully prosecute offenders. Staffing in the Computer Evidence Recovery Unit should be increased to handle the increased workload generated by the ICAC Unit.

    When the Firearms Transaction Program identifies a person attempting to illegally sell or purchase a firearm, the department initiates a criminal investigation into the matter utilizing patrol troopers. The department should establish a separate unit to investigate violations of Virginia’s firearms laws and provide on-site presence at large gun shows.

    Identity theft is a significant and growing problem in Virginia. Crimes associated with identity theft cause significant economic and emotional injury. The department needs additional manpower to aggressively combat these crimes.

    The department’s current overtime policy adversely impacts manpower availability. The negative impact is due to the build up of both compensatory and overtime leave, which must be paid back within 12 months (compensatory leave) or managed after an accumulation of more than 48 hours (overtime leave). If the department had adequate funding to reimburse non-exempt sworn employees for overtime, the effect would be to add thousands of man hours to department operations without additional positions. The department should maximize the use of sworn personnel by paying them for overtime in lieu of giving them leave.

    Commercial vehicle enforcement officers (CVEOs) are assigned to weighing operations at Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Motor Carrier Service Centers to enforce the dimension and weight laws of the Code of Virginia. Their activities are typically restricted to the DMV Motor Carrier Service Centers. Although CVEOs are certified law enforcement officers, they do not receive the same level of training as troopers, limiting the ability of the department to effectively deploy these officers, particularly in emergency situations. In order to enhance flexibility and operational effectiveness, the department should convert 72 CVEO positions to trooper positions.

    The department cannot accomplish its mission without adequate levels of support personnel. Additional support personnel are urgently needed to perform critical operational and administrative functions.
  • Summary of Potential Impediments to Achievement
    In recent years, the Department of State Police has seen its workload increase dramatically, while its manpower resources have remained relatively stagnant. Statewide, sheriff’s offices and county/town police departments have reacted to the increased demands by augmenting their sworn strength 24.1 percent from 1996 to 2007. However, the department’s sworn strength only increased 17.2 percent during that period. In order to effectively accomplish its mission, the department must be adequately staffed.

    The increased manpower needs identified by the department’s staffing methodologies are clearly supported by demographic and workload changes in Virginia. Population, housing, registered vehicles, and vehicle miles traveled have all risen sharply. These, in turn, have created an increased demand for law enforcement services.

    There are also emerging issues in public safety that the department must have adequate manpower to address. These issues include terrorism, Internet crimes against children, illegal firearms purchases, sex offenders, and identity theft.

    Changes driven by VITA transformation activities significantly impact the department’s ability to support network and PC operations. Agency overhead costs have increased. In addition, recent changes in cost schedules have adversely impacted the department's ability to project IT costs, particularly when seeking grant funding. It is imperative that VITA is responsive to the department’s network and PC support needs by providing high quality and timely service to all department offices located throughout the Commonwealth so that public safety is not jeopardized.

    In recent years, the department has struggled with increased operating costs. Dramatic increases in the cost of gasoline and insurance have forced the department to leave authorized positions vacant to accommodate funding shortages. These vacancies severely impact operational effectiveness and diminish the quality of law enforcement services provided to the citizens of Virginia.
Service Area List

Service Number Title
156 302 01 Information Technology Systems and Planning
156 302 03 Criminal Justice Information Services
156 302 04 Telecommunications and Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS)
156 302 06 Firearms Purchase Program
156 302 07 Sex Offender Registry Program
156 302 08 Concealed Weapons Program
156 310 01 Aviation Operations
156 310 02 Commercial Vehicle Enforcement
156 310 03 Counter-Terrorism
156 310 04 Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT)
156 310 05 Drug Enforcement
156 310 06 Crime Investigation and Intelligence Services
156 310 07 Uniform Patrol Services (Highway Patrol)
156 310 08 Motorists Assistance Program
156 310 09 Insurance Fraud Program
156 310 10 Vehicle Safety Inspections
156 399 00 Administrative and Support Services
Agency Background Information

Statutory Authority
The statutory authority of the Department of State Police is established in Title 52 of the Code of Virginia.

Customers
Customer Group Customers served annually Potential customers annually
Businesses 549,916 549,916
Circuit Courts 122 122
Commissions/Authorities 2 2
Commonwealth's Attorneys and staff 500 500
Department Employees 2,829 2,829
Emergency Medical Response Personnel 0 0
Entities Registered for Community Notification of Sex Offenders 1,924 0
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 1 1
Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies 0 0
Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 0 0
Gun Dealers 1,800 1,800
Inspection Stations 4,280 4,280
Inspectors (active) 14,528 14,528
Motor Carriers 0 500,000
Multi-jurisdictional investigative task forces 35 35
Out of State Citizens 0 0
Out of State Courts 0 0
Out of State Law Enforcement Agencies 0 0
Property and casualty insurance companies licensed to operate in Virginia 851 851
Retired Law Enforcement Personnel 0 0
Sex Offenders 15,096 15,096
STARS Agencies 21 21
State agencies 43 43
Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465
Virginia Courts 326 326
Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies 285 285

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The population in Virginia is growing and changing. From 1980 to 2000, the population in Virginia increased 32.4 percent. The aging of the Baby Boom generation will create new challenges for the department. As the elderly population increases, elder abuse and other crimes against the elderly will almost certainly increase. Older drivers may also present problems for the law enforcement community. Other demographic changes may also impact the department and its operations. Certain minority populations in Virginia are increasing. In 1990, the Hispanic population accounted for 2.6 percent of the total population while the Asian population made up 2.5 percent. Ten years later, these figures increased to 4.7 percent and 3.7 percent respectively. Many of these persons do not speak English. The department will need to prepare itself to provide law enforcement services to these growing populations.

Products and Services
  • Description of the Agency's Products and/or Services:
    Information Technology Systems
    Criminal Justice Information Services
    Telecommunications and the Statewide Agencies Radio System
    Firearms Transaction Program
    Sex Offender Registry Program
    Concealed Weapon Program
    Aviation Operations
    Commercial Vehicle Enforcement
    Counter-Terrorism
    Help Eliminate Auto Theft Program
    Drug Enforcement
    Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Services
    Uniform Patrol Services
    Motorist Assistance Program
    Insurance Fraud Program
    Vehicle Safety Inspections
    Administrative and Support Services
  • Factors Impacting Agency Products and/or Services:
    In recent years, the Department of State Police has seen its workload increase dramatically, while its manpower resources have remained relatively stagnant. Statewide, sheriff’s offices and county/town police departments have reacted to the increased demands by augmenting their sworn strength 24.1 percent from 1996 to 2007. However, the department’s sworn strength only increased 17.2 percent during that period. In order to effectively accomplish its mission, the department must be adequately staffed. Significant increases in manpower are clearly justified by department staffing studies.

    The increased manpower needs identified by the department’s staffing methodologies are clearly supported by demographic and workload changes in Virginia. Population, housing, registered vehicles, and vehicle miles traveled have all risen sharply. These, in turn, have created an increased demand for law enforcement services.

    There are also emerging issues in public safety that the department must have adequate manpower to address. These issues include terrorism, Internet crimes against children, illegal firearms purchases, sex offenders and identity theft.

    Changes driven by VITA transformation activities may impact the department’s ability to support network and PC operations. Agency overhead costs may increase to meet the transformation mandates. In addition, recent changes in cost schedules have adversely impacted the department's ability to project IT costs, particularly when seeking grant funding. It is imperative that VITA is responsive to the department’s network and PC support needs by providing high quality and timely service to all department offices located throughout the Commonwealth so that public safety is not jeopardized.

    In recent years, the department has struggled with increased operating costs. Dramatic increases in the cost of gasoline and insurance have forced the department to leave some authorized positions vacant to accommodate funding shortages. These vacancies severely impact operational effectiveness and diminish the quality of law enforcement services provided to the citizens of Virginia.
  • Anticipated Changes in Products or Services:
    In order to accomplish its mission and accommodate increased workload, the department needs to increase manpower to levels recommended by approved staffing models. The department anticipates adding approximately 592 troopers and 154 support personnel over a six-year period. These personnel would allow the department to address a number of emerging public safety issues.

    If the department does not receive additional manpower and increased funding to accommodate increased operational costs, its services to the citizens of Virginia will, unfortunately, decrease significantly. Response times to calls for service will increase, adversely impacting public safety and decreasing customer satisfaction. The department's ability to provide support to local law enforcement agencies will also be diminished.
Finance
  • Financial Overview:
    The chief source of funding for the Department of State Police is the general fund. The agency also collects special fund revenue, Highway Maintenance Funds and Federal funds. Funding sources for FY2010 include:

    • General Fund – 74.65%
    • Dedicated Special Revenue - 1.46%
    • Special Fund – 16.90%
    • Highway Maintenance Funds – 3.0%
    • Federal Funds – 3.98%
    • Trust Funds - .01%

    Special Fund Revenue

    Revenue received from DMV is calculated at $2 per vehicle registered in the Commonwealth. These funds are used to support the Safety Program.

    Revenue generated from the food service provided to students attending the State Police Academy is used to support cafeteria operations.

    Cash received from the State Corporation Commission is used to support the HEAT Program, the Insurance Fraud Program, and 24 FTEs transferred to the department by the 1995 Session of the General Assembly.

    Other special funds include revenue generated from the sale of concealed weapons permits, revenue generated from the fee charged to perform sex offender registry searches, revenue received from the sale of surplus properties, and court awards of seized assets.
  • Financial Breakdown:
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $223,772,602  $81,658,908     $220,496,030  $75,534,908 
    Change To Base    $0  $0     $0  $0 
               
    Agency Total $223,772,602  $81,658,908     $220,496,030  $75,534,908 
    This financial summary is computed from information entered in the service area plans.
Human Resources
  • Overview
    The department’s workforce is comprised of 73.7 percent (1,906) sworn employees and 26.3 percent (680) civilian employees. The department’s employees are broken into three basic service areas.

    • Crime detection, investigation, and apprehension
    • Information technology, telecommunication, and records management
    • Administrative and support services

    The department is organized according to function:

    • The Superintendent’s Office is responsible for the proper and efficient administration, control, and operation of the Department of State Police. The Superintendent’s Office is also responsible for providing executive protection for the Governor.
    • The Bureau of Administrative and Support Services (BASS) is comprised of most of the department’s civilian personnel as well as some sworn employees. The Bureau includes Communications, Criminal Justice Information Services, Information Technology, Personnel, Property and Logistics, Training, and Finance.
    • The Bureau of Field Operations (BFO) has the primary responsibility of patrolling over 64,000 miles of state roadways and interstate highways throughout Virginia. Personnel provide both traffic enforcement and criminal law enforcement. The Bureau also is responsible for managing the Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Program, enforcing motor carrier and commercial vehicle safety regulations, and providing aviation support.
  • Human Resource Levels
    Effective Date 6/30/2008    
    Total Authorized Position level 2781    
    Vacant Positions -195    
    Current Employment Level 2,586.0    
    Non-Classified (Filled) 1    
    Full-Time Classified (Filled) 2585    breakout of Current Employment Level
    Part-Time Classified (Filled) 0    
    Faculty (Filled) 0    
    Wage 208    
    Contract Employees 35    
    Total Human Resource Level 2,829.0   = Current Employment Level + Wage and Contract Employees
  • Factors Impacting HR
    The Virginia State Police, like most agencies, is managing an aging workforce. There are a number of issues that face management and are especially important in addressing the challenges of the aging workforce, to include recruitment, discrimination against older workers, employee retention, training, productivity, succession planning, and retirement.

    Since 2004, the average age of the department’s workforce has increased by .3 years for sworn employees and .7 years for civilian employees. The average (mean) age for all state employees is 46 years of age.

    • 56.32 percent (1,456) of the current workforce is 40 years old or older
    • 26.89 percent (695) of the current workforce is 50 years old or older
    • 5.73 percent (148) of the current workforce is 60 years old or older
    • .23 percent (6) of the current workforce is 70 years old or older

    As of June 30, 2008, our oldest employee is 77 years old and has 11.3 years of State service

    The average age for males is 40.6 while the average of females is 45.6.

    The Recruitment Unit includes a first sergeant, one sergeant who is responsible for recruitment activities in the Richmond area, five full-time recruiters, and one part-time secretary. Refocusing recruitment efforts to generate a diverse and qualified applicant pool has enabled the department to concentrate on recruiting and hiring the most qualified, diverse workforce to meet the demands of the future of policing in our global communities. Specific recruitment strategies were designed and implemented to aid in accomplishing the goals of the unit.

    As budget permits, the department hires approximately 180 trooper trainees per year, which fills two basic trooper schools each calendar year. This allows our agency to recruit new troopers continuously and backfill positions vacated by troopers who receive promotions or separate from the department.

    Since FY2004, the average years of service for both sworn and civilian personnel has dropped. Since FY2004, the average years of service for sworn employees has decreased by 2.1 years--a 16.3 percent decrease. Over the same period, average years of service for civilians have decreased by 1.9 years--a 16.1 percent decrease. A significant reason for the decrease in the number years of service is due in large part to our senior employees retiring. Retirements (service and disability) make up 44.9 percent of the total separations in 2008.

    As of June 30, 2008, the average years of service for male employees is 13.7 years and the average for female employees is 12.9 years.

    Total turnover for the department is 7.16 percent, which is an increase of 2.83 percent since fiscal year 2007. Turnover for sworn employees has increased by 2.64 percent since 2007. Total turnover is 4.14 percent less than the 11.30 percent turnover percentage for the State.
  • Anticipated HR Changes
    The department has analyzed its staffing needs and updated its Manpower Augmentation Plan. In recent years, the Department of State Police has seen its workload increase dramatically, while its manpower resources have remained relatively stagnant. Significant increases in sworn manpower are clearly justified by department staffing studies based on documented workload.

    It must also be noted that the department cannot accomplish its mission without adequate levels of support personnel. Additional support personnel are urgently needed to perform critical operational and administrative functions.

    Manpower Augmentation Plan

    The department needs 592 sworn employees, 154 full-time civilian employees, 13 civilian wage employees, and increased funding to:

    1. Increase BFO manpower to levels recommended by the Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model.

    2. Add one lieutenant to Division 1.

    3. Add one first sergeant to Division 6 and split Area 40.

    4. Increase BCI manpower to levels recommended by the BCI Special Agent Staffing Model.

    5. Add one special agent each to the Richmond, Appomattox, and Chesapeake Field Offices to work cold case investigations.

    6. Add one special agent to the Appomattox, Wytheville, and Salem Field Offices and two agents to the Fairfax Field Office to staff additional task forces.

    7. Augment staffing in the Virginia Fusion Center.

    8. Add two special agents to support the Joint Terrorism Task Forces.

    9. Create the Homeland Security Division by reorganizing the Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Interdiction Unit and adding personnel with special training and equipment.

    10. Create the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit to protect children in Virginia from Internet predators and supplement personnel in the Computer Evidence Recovery Unit to accommodate increased workload.

    11. Augment staffing in the Firearms Transaction Center and dedicate troopers to investigate the illegal sale and purchase of firearms and to provide on-site presence at selected gun shows to handle violations of firearm laws.

    12. Create an Identity Theft Unit within the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

    13. Pay non-exempt sworn employees for overtime in lieu of giving them compensatory or overtime leave.

    14. Convert commercial vehicle enforcement officers to troopers.

    15. Expand the Sex Offender Investigative Unit.

    16. Augment staffing in the Technical Support Unit.

    17. Augment support personnel to accommodate increased workload and staffing levels.

    The department is currently reviewing the feasibility of converting all existing commercial vehicle enforcement officers (CVEOs) to troopers. A meeting with the North Carolina Highway Police revealed that they converted all of their commercial vehicle officers to troopers because of the difficulty of hiring, training, equipping and retaining those officers. Cost savings would be realized through the elimination of separate hiring procedures, training, and equipment and would give the department a higher complement of troopers and greater flexibility to fill vacant CVEO positions. Troopers in areas with permanent scales would be scheduled to work commercial vehicle enforcement on a rotating basis. As the CVEOs are already certified, they could attend a modified training session established by the Training Division to meet all Department of Criminal Justice Services requirements.
Information Technology
  • Narrative overview of the current state of IT in the agency:
    The department operates multiple critical systems that support local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts across the Commonwealth. This includes over 20 systems and/or applications that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, such as the Computerized Criminal History System (CCH), the Sex Offender Registry (SOR), the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), the Firearms Transaction Processing System (FTP), the Tactical Intelligence Processing System (TIPS) and the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) which supports all these systems.

    The VCIN System provides criminal justice agencies throughout Virginia with rapid access to local, state, and national files related to wanted or missing persons, escapees, stolen property including motor vehicles, criminal history, driver information, sex offender data, hazardous material spills, severe weather conditions, and airplane crashes. The primary function of VCIN is to provide a means of rapid communications for criminal justice agencies throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. VCIN is also a central gateway to national systems such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and the International Justice and Public Safety Information Sharing Network (NLETS). It would be a significant public safety issue if any of these systems failed for any length of time.

    In July 2004, State Police signed a $329 million contract between Motorola and the Commonwealth of Virginia for the design, construction, and implementation of the Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS). The STARS program is administered by the Property and Logistics Division and its operations are overseen by the Communications Division. STARS provides multi-channel trunked digital voice and data wireless communications that are specifically designed for public safety requirements, based on APCO Project 25 technology. The existing State Police microwave radio network’s technology and capacity are being upgraded and disaster recovery alternate paths are being added. The STARS contract provides for essential public safety grade communications that can operate seamlessly throughout the Commonwealth for the 21 state agencies and facilitate interoperability with local governments and federal agencies.

    In August 2004, the department replaced its Unisys IX 4400 mainframe with UNIX servers based on the Sun Solaris operating system. The COBOL programs for the Computerized Criminal History, Wanted, Incident-Based Reporting, Firearms Transaction Processing, and other critical systems were ported over to the UNIX servers through the use of proprietary software which emulates the Unisys environment. The Mapper systems (intelligence, investigative and administrative), which are proprietary to Unisys, were also ported over to the UNIX Solaris systems.

    Many of the applications that were ported over were developed 30 years ago and have become increasingly difficult to support because they utilize outdated proprietary software tools. Personnel to support these products will be increasingly difficult to find in the IT staffing market place. Additionally, the use of the proprietary emulation software further increases the risk to the department. Non-general FY2009-10 funding has been identified to support the replacement of many of these critical systems such as CCH, IBR, and Firearms. The Mapper systems are also at risk as the vendor will most likely be gradually reducing support for this proprietary product as its use is decreasing in the marketplace. Funding has also been identified to address some of the Mapper systems.

    Both the COBOL and Mapper systems are considered transitional in Virginia’s Enterprise Architecture standards. This requires the State Police to develop plans to replace these systems. Several major initiatives, which are described in a later section, have been identified to address replacement of these systems.

    State funding was received in the 2006-08 biennium to begin the replacement of the CCH and Wanted Systems. The new Wanted/Hotfiles System went into production in January 2008. High level requirements were drafted for the new CCH System. Additional non-general funding has been identified to continue these efforts in the 2008-10 biennium.

    The AFIS System has been upgraded to handle palm print submissions and searches. A Central Criminal Images System (CCIS) that allows access by local law enforcement agencies to the mugshot images that VSP receives as part of the arrest data was implemented in March 2008.

    The VCIN Fujitsu and AIX servers are an essential component of Virginia’s law enforcement and homeland security systems. They contain critical statewide applications (CCH, SOR, IBR, Hotfiles, Amber Alert, Investigative/Intelligence Data, etc.) that law enforcement agencies throughout Virginia rely upon in their day-to-day operations. The VCIN servers must be periodically expanded to handle the higher transaction and database volumes and new and enhanced applications. Transaction volumes are greatly increasing in both the criminal justice community and private sector. In addition, the VCIN server systems require periodic replacements/upgrades to ensure their reliability and the continuation of maintenance and support. VSP has relied upon federal grants for the upgrade of systems for more than five years. A stable annual source of funding needs to be identified to keep this essential system up to date, reliable and able to maintain its service levels to the criminal justice community.

    The department has established a disaster recovery site for the VCIN System operations. This site was recently moved to provide for a better communications infrastructure. The current configuration of this site is limited to mainly VCIN functionality and will need to be upgraded to handle VSP’s other essential applications such as Sex Offender, Amber Alert, etc.

    The department’s Information Technology Division personnel are supplemented by contractual personnel due to a lack of sufficient state-funded IT positions. This has resulted in reliance upon contractual personnel for critical system support and implementation of projects. Recently, the department has added several positions to the IT Division which have helped to decrease this risk.
  • Narrative description of the factors impacting agency IT:
    As a result of the events of September 11, 2001, the federal government has mandated new standards to improve law enforcement information sharing nationwide. These standards are critical to homeland security efforts and are based on the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). It is important to note that the U.S. Department of Justice has mandated the adoption of this standard for states and localities that are competing for federal grants. Major changes are needed to State Police applications to meet these requirements.

    Virginia’s Enterprise Applications Program is looking at data standards among state agencies to improve communications between agencies and systems. This potentially could conflict with the national information sharing initiatives such as NIEM.

    There is increasing pressure on VSP to provide for statewide information sharing services from the criminal justice community in Virginia. This would also include transmission of data to the new FBI N-DEx system for national sharing. There are multiple regional sharing systems being implemented in Virginia. It is critical that VSP provide a leadership role in ensuring that information cannot only be shared statewide among these and local systems, but be provided at a national level. A major upgrade of VSP systems and expansion of VSP IT personnel will be required to implement and support these services.

    The implementation of Virginia’s Project Management Standard by VITA has greatly increased the workload on the department’s systems analysts, added to the project costs, and lengthened the time to implement projects. Effective project planning is critical to the success of a system and VSP’s IT Division needs project management personnel to oversee these efforts. One Project Manager position has been established but more will be needed to oversee the multiple major and non-major projects.

    The establishment of Virginia’s Enterprise Architecture (EA) standards requires that agencies adopt a plan to transition the legacy technologies (e.g. COBOL, Mapper, etc.) to a more open and modern platform. VSP’s chosen platform (Oracle, Java/JEE, Websphere, Solaris operating system) meets the EA requirements. Procurement of applications that meet these requirements, however, will limit the choices available for purchase.

    The uncertainty of the status of Virginia’s Enterprise Applications and the lack of funding has delayed the automation of multiple critical administrative systems such as Human Resources (which is mostly Mapper based), Accounts Receivables, and Inventory and Asset Management systems. Delaying the replacement of these systems increases the risk of their failure.

    The VITA/NG partnership has greatly increased the operational costs and complexity of management of the network, Exchange servers, and PC operations. It takes VSP personnel longer to resolve issues, renew maintenance support, and procure equipment and software. It has also required more oversight time on the part of IT management. It is critical that VITA/NG be responsive to the department’s network and PC procurement and support needs by providing high quality, affordable and timely service to all department offices located throughout the Commonwealth.

    The Sex Offender Registry and Mental Health Record checks are expected to continue to undergo significant legislative changes. VSP needs sufficient IT staff to respond to these endeavors without impacting the schedules of other projects. Historically, resources have been diverted to implement these changes which have delayed other projects.
  • Describe any anticipated or desired changes to agency IT:
    The STARS program will continue to be deployed. Two State Police divisions are currently operational. It is anticipated that two additional State Police divisions will be operational on the STARS network by October 2009. The last three divisions will be operational by October 2010. The STARS project closeout is anticipated to occur December 2010.

    VSP will continue to modernize and replace the department’s legacy Mapper and COBOL applications with new applications that are built on Oracle, Java/JEE, and Solaris platforms. The lack of legacy support personnel in the marketplace coupled with the reliance upon vendor proprietary products put these systems at risk. Purchase of proven off-the-shelf applications, especially where the source code can be procured, will be reviewed as an option. In-house development will be considered in cases where there are no viable, cost-effective solutions in the marketplace. In either case, preference will be given to n-tiered, SOA applications that conform to the EA standards.

    These software solutions will incorporate new federal standards including the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). The central repository systems will be designed to accommodate improved interfaces with related law enforcement systems within the agency, such as the Law Enforcement Activity Management System (LEAMS). Additionally, to facilitate information sharing, capability will be built in central repository applications to interface with local law enforcement and other state agency applications, as well as federal law enforcement applications using the NIEM standard.

    VSP has received federal grant funds for the Law Enforcement Activity Management System (LEAMS) project which was initiated in FY2008. The LEAMS project will provide a comprehensive system to support the documentation of criminal investigations and related law enforcement activities and reduce the agency’s dependence on burdensome paper-based workflows and difficult-to-change legacy technologies. The federally funded LEAMS system will replace multiple legacy Mapper systems (FACTS, Evidence Tracking, Legal Documents, etc.) that are critical to State Police’s investigative units. LEAMS has received development approval from VITA and the ITIB and Phase 1 is expected to be implemented in 2010. The system will make use of up-to-date technology to upgrade process controls, management/supervisory oversight, data quality, processing timeliness, system access, analytical tools, and intra-agency and inter-agency cooperation needed to maintain quality law enforcement records as mandated under §15.2.-1722 of the Code of Virginia.

    The department received a Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grant to expand interoperable radio communications through a project named COMLINC (Commonwealth Link to Interoperable Communications). This project will interface with the STARS (Statewide Agencies Radio System) network and enable communications between localities and 21 state agencies. The project plan includes the installation of COMLINC radio gateways into up to 17 county and city law enforcement communications centers in the Richmond Metropolitan Area and along Interstate 95 from the North Carolina line to Fairfax County.

    Development of a replacement Firearms System is underway and is expected to be completed by December 2009.

    VSP has received planning approval for three major projects: Replacement and Enhancement of the Central Criminal History (CCH) application, Replacement and Enhancement of the Statewide Incident-Based Reporting System (IBR), and the Central Criminal Repository and Support Systems Improvement. These are in addition to the three major projects that are currently under development: STARS, LEAMS and Enhancement of Communications along Secondary Evacuation Routes I95.

    The CCH application is accessed extensively by the criminal justice community to determine an offender’s identification and his/her prior criminal record. The current legacy Computerized Criminal History System is more than 30 years old and does not meet Virginia's Enterprise Architecture standards. This system is the sole repository for Virginia's arrests and court dispositions and is relied upon by the entire criminal justice community (law enforcement, courts, Commonwealth attorneys, jails, etc.) for accurate offender information. The CCH System records are based on fingerprint submissions from law enforcement which ensure the accuracy of the records.

    In 2004, the CCH System was moved from the Unisys mainframe to a UNIX based system. Although it runs on a modern hardware environment, it is not able to take advantage of many of the features of that environment because it relies upon a proprietary emulation package to operate. Because of the risk associated with that package and the need to provide a more modern and flexible environment for the CCH System in order to respond better to changing business and legislative needs, it is essential that the system be replaced. Additionally, because of the older and proprietary features of this system, support personnel will be increasingly difficult to find in the marketplace which further increases the risk. Its older architecture makes it difficult to respond to legislative initiatives, prevents needed database enhancements, makes interfaces more difficult and costly to implement, and requires IT staff for routine report generation.

    Replacement of this system will provide for increased public safety and improved interfaces with the other agencies. This project would address Goals 3 and 5 in the COVA IT Strategic Plan.

    The IBR replacement project will improve the submission and access of incident and arrest information from local law enforcement agencies. Local agencies throughout Virginia are mandated to report statistical information monthly on incidents and arrests on certain categories of crimes. VSP in turn provides this data to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) operated by the FBI. The current IBR system is based on transitional technology (MFCOBOL) and relies upon the proprietary emulation software for its operations. The current IBR system is difficult to maintain or enhance because of its design and architecture. There are numerous enhancements that have been requested that are costly to implement in the current system environment including reporting of data to the FBI’s N-DEx system, geo-coding of data, and incorporation of an Offense Tracking number that will provide for correlation with other databases. These enhancements will increase the detection of crime trends and aid investigators in determining where to concentrate their efforts. This project directly supports COVA IT Strategic Goals 1, 2 and 3.

    VSP has multiple Mapper and MFCOBOL systems that support the law enforcement operations and other central repositories such as the Consolidated Applicant Tracking System, Mentally Incapacitated, Gun Sellers and other databases, Central ORI and Statute tables, etc. Because of the legacy architecture, it is difficult to interface these systems with the newer applications. This adds complexity for the newer applications and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find personnel to support these systems. In addition, some of the functionality is duplicated between systems and replacement will ensure that they will be available in the future to support the law enforcement efforts and legislative mandates for the department. These efforts directly support Goals 3 and 5 of the COVA Strategic IT plan.

    Multiple non-major projects have been initiated or will be completed in the 2008-10 biennium. They are as follows:

    • Replacement of the Firearms System which automates the mandated instant gun check - The replacement system will meet Virginia’s EA standards and will automate many of the manual processes associated with the approval process.
    • VCIN Server Upgrade – The VCIN AIX and Fujitsu servers need to be expanded and refreshed periodically to handle increasing data and transaction volumes and to ensure that vendor support is available.
    • Digital Crime Scene Image System - This system will provide for automated submission, processing and electronic storage of digital photos taken by investigators.
    • AFIS and Electronic System Upgrade – The AFIS and Electronic Fingerprint Archive systems need to be upgraded and refreshed periodically to handle increasing data and transaction volumes and to ensure continued vendor support.
    • Enhancement of the core Sex Offender Registry System – The current system is based on Oracle Forms and Reports and relies upon a vendor for support and to make legislative and other changes. Redevelopment of this in an environment that meets Virginia’s EA standards would enable the cost-effective implementation of enhancements such as address validation and automated handling of NCIC transactions.
    • Enhancement of Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) System and Mobile Server System (MSS) to send, receive and process geographical coordinates between the CAD systems and the mobile users. The department also plans to use the Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) and Global Positioning System (GPS) to enhance officer safety and allow the department to track criminal and traffic trends using a geo-spatial system.
    • Automation of Virginia’s Motor Vehicle Inspection Program to provide for electronic submission and retrieval of motor vehicle inspection data from inspection stations. It will make this information electronically available to law enforcement agencies and will improve public safety by providing better information on inspections.
    • Replacement of the Consolidated Applicant Tracking System (CATS) – The current CATS system is based on legacy technologies (COBOL) and relies upon proprietary emulation software for its operations. This system handles the automated submission of name and fingerprint-based applicant checks against state and national Criminal History Systems. It is used for employment checks for schools, gun dealers, etc.

    • State Police’s three key objectives are as follows:

    1) Enhance public safety by investigating and successfully closing cases concerning sex offenders who fail to register in accordance with the Code of Virginia;
    2) Improve the response to citizens requesting police services to ensure the safety of victims and increase the likelihood of apprehending offenders; and
    3) Decrease the response time to citizen calls for service.

    The STARS and Enhancement of Communications along Secondary Evacuation Routes I-95 programs are addressing the second and third key objectives by improving the communications infrastructure for law enforcement. Multiple enhancements to the Sex Offender Registry are in process which will increase the efficiency of the investigators and provide more up-to-date information to the public on sex offenders. This addresses both the first and second key objectives. The other projects such as LEAMS, CCH, Firearms, SOR, and IBR, along with the other Central Repository projects, will ensure that law enforcement agencies will have rapid access to critical criminal justice information such as investigative cases, sex offender information, crime incident data, and criminal history data. These projects all increase the likelihood of apprehending offenders which is the second key objective.

    The upgrade of the VCIN, AFIS, and the Electronic Archive Systems ensures that the service levels are maintained and that new improved functionality is added as it becomes available. These projects directly support the second key objective. VSP is also undertaking projects to increase the efficiencies of the investigators by implementing an Activity Management System to ensure the most effective resource usage and by the adoption of digital cameras for automated submission, storage and access to investigative photos. These systems would contribute to both the second and third key objectives. Upgrades to the department’s CAD system and automation of the motor vehicle inspection program would also increase the efficiencies of the department’s personnel which would support the third key objective.
  • IT Current Services:
    Cost - Year 1 Cost - Year 2
    General Fund Non-general Fund General Fund Non-general Fund
    Projected FY2010 VITA Service Fees $0 $0 $0 $0
    Changes (+/-) to VITA
    Infrastructure
    $0 $0 $0 $0
    Estimated VITA Infrastruture $0 $0 $0 $0
    Specialized Infrastructure $3,817,600 $0 $3,817,600 $0
    Agency IT Staff $0 $0 $0 $0
    Non-agency IT Staff $0 $0 $0 $0
    Other Application Costs $3,525,600 $795,825 $3,525,600 $795,825
    Agency IT Current Services $7,343,200 $795,825 $7,343,200 $795,825
    Comments:
    [Nothing entered]
  • Proposed IT Investments
    Cost - Year 1 Cost - Year 2
    General Fund Non-general Fund General Fund Non-general Fund
    Major IT Projects $2,620,000 $27,212,165 $2,838,000 $16,356,000
    Non-major IT Projects
    From $100,000 - $1 Milliona Total Cost
    $425,000 $1,307,335 $527,000 $1,950,000
    Non-major IT Projects
    Below $100,000 Total Cost
    $0 $0 $0 $0
    Major IT Procurements - Stand-alone $0 $0 $0 $0
    Non-major IT Procurements - Stand-alone $0 $240,000 $0 $0
    Total Proposed IT Investments $3,045,000 $28,759,500 $3,365,000 $18,306,000
  • Projected Total IT Budget
    Cost - Year 1 Cost - Year 2
    General Fund Non-general Fund General Fund Non-general Fund
    Agency IT Current Services $7,343,200 $795,825 $7,343,200 $795,825
    Total Proposed IT Investments $3,045,000 $28,759,500 $3,365,000 $18,306,000
    Agency Projected Total IT Budget $10,388,200 $29,555,325 $10,708,200 $19,101,825
Appendix A - Agency's information technology investment detail maintained in VITA's ProSight system.
Capital
  • Current State of Capital Investments:
    The department has recently completed the renovation and improvements to the original 1939 section of the administrative headquarters building.

    The department is proceeding with the construction of a new garage facility at our main headquarters complex. The new garage will contain approximately 20 bay areas for repairs and installation of new equipment, including the new STARS radio equipment. The new facility also facilitates the installation of the STARS equipment in other state agencies’ fleets.

    The department is also proceeding with the full implementation of the construction of the new Public Safety Driver Training facility to be located at Fort Pickett. The facility will contain several driving courses along with facilities for classroom training, offices, dormitory space, a cafeteria and a small garage.

    The department is proceeding with plans in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to construct a joint firearms training facility on Department of Corrections property in Powhatan County.
  • Factors Impacting Capital Investments:
    The department will need to continue to use the 1939 facility in order to meets its program requirements. The renovation and upgrade of the facility will meet the routine maintenance requirements expected from a state-owned facility which is part of the Commonwealth’s public safety requirements to the citizens.

    Space limitations and restrictions in some facilities require the department to relocate some functions to other suitable space owned by the department. Because of the nature of department programs, owned space is much more suitable.
  • Capital Investments Alignment:
    The department provides high quality, statewide law enforcement services and other safety-related services to the people of Virginia and its visitors. The department must maintain reasonable quality facilities of adequate size and construction to provide these required services.
Agency Goals

Goal 1

Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.

Goal Summary and Alignment

Public safety is essential to the well-being of both citizens and businesses in Virginia. Ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property is one of the primary responsibilities of state government and is fundamental to achieving the department's mission of providing high quality, statewide law enforcement services to the people of Virginia and our visitors.

Goal Alignment to Statewide Goals
  • Protect the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds.
  • Ensure that Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, enables easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy and improves our quality of life.
Goal 2

Promote the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways.

Goal Summary and Alignment

The Commonwealth must have a safe and reliable highway system to facilitate the transportation of people and goods. Promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways is necessary to ensure the safety of citizens and their property and to encourage economic growth and tourism in Virginia.

Goal Alignment to Statewide Goals
  • Be a national leader in the preservation and enhancement of our economy.
  • Protect the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds.
  • Ensure that Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, enables easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy and improves our quality of life.
Goal 3

Strive to eliminate illegal drug use within Virginia.

Goal Summary and Alignment

Illegal drug use is associated with violent criminal behavior and a plethora of social problems. In order to reduce drug-related violence and ensure public safety, the commonwealth must strive to eliminate illegal drug use in Virginia.

Goal Alignment to Statewide Goals
  • Inspire and support Virginians toward healthy lives and strong and resilient families.
  • Protect the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds.
Goal 4

Provide available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies.

Goal Summary and Alignment

State and local governments have limited resources to devote to public safety. The Department of State Police has an array of specialized enforcement and investigative resources. In order to make the most effective use of these resources, the Department of State Police is committed to providing available resources to other law enforcement agencies requesting assistance.

Goal Alignment to Statewide Goals
  • Be recognized as the best-managed state in the nation.
  • Protect the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds.
Goal 5

Ensure the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel.

Goal Summary and Alignment

The provision of public safety services is a hazardous role that requires extensive training. The Department of State Police is committed to ensuring that its employees are well-trained and provided with the highest level of protective equipment. Fair personnel practices and efficient administrative procedures are essential to maintaining high morale among employees.

Goal Alignment to Statewide Goals
  • Be recognized as the best-managed state in the nation.
Goal 6

Continually seek ways to deliver the most cost-effective and efficient law enforcement services possible.

Goal Summary and Alignment

State agencies are the stewards of the commonwealth's resources. It is incumbent upon each agency to effectively manage these resources. The Department of State Police is committed to using its resources effectively and efficiently. Innovative equipment and procedures are routinely studied to maximize the effectiveness of department resources and operations. Where possible, department personnel and equipment are used to support other law enforcement agencies in their operations.

Goal Alignment to Statewide Goals
  • Be recognized as the best-managed state in the nation.
Goal 7

We will strengthen the culture of preparedness across state agencies, their employees and customers.

Goal Summary and Alignment

This goal ensures compliance with federal and state regulations, policies and procedures for Commonwealth preparedness, as well as guidelines promulgated by the Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness, in collaboration with the Governor's Cabinet, the Commonwealth Preparedness Working Group, the Department of Planning and Budget and the Council on Virginia's Future. The goal supports achievement of the Commonwealth's statewide goal of protecting the public's safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds.

Goal Alignment to Statewide Goals
  • Protect the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds.
Goal Objectives
  • We will be prepared to act in the interest of the citizens of the Commonwealth and its infrastructure during emergency situations by actively planning and training both as an agency and as individuals.
    Objective Strategies
    • The agency Emergency Coordination Officer will stay in continuous communication with the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
    Objective Measures
    • Agency Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Assessment Score
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Annual
      Preferred Trend:
      Measure Baseline Value:
      Date:

      Measure Baseline Description: The 2007 COOP Assessment results are not yet available.

      Measure Target Value:
      Date:

      Measure Target Description: Achieve a minimum of 75 percent or, if at 75 percent, increase the average by five percent each year.

      Data Source and Calculation: The COOP Assessment Review is a 24 component assessment tool that helps measure the viability of a COOP Plan.


Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 1 of 17
Information Technology Systems and Planning (156 302 01)
Description

Effective law enforcement requires the capability to access data from many sources. The Information Technology and Planning Service Area is responsible for maintaining the computers and information systems that make this access possible. Some of these critical systems include the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN), the Computerized Criminal History System (CCH), the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), the State Police Administrative Network (SPAN), and the Incident-Based Reporting System (IBR).
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area is closely aligned with five goals in the department’s strategic plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property; (2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways; (3) striving to eliminate illegal drug use within Virginia; (4) providing available department resources to any requesting law enforcement agency; and (5) ensuring the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The Department of State Police has numerous activities mandated by the Code of Virginia that could not be performed without the Information Technology and Planning Service Area. For example, the Code of Virginia requires the State Police to maintain the Central Criminal Records Exchange, which collects and disseminates criminal history information. This information includes demographic, charge, disposition, and corrections data for adults and juveniles arrested in Virginia on charges that are reportable to the Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) and on persons under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. The maintenance of criminal history data in the CCRE, in turn, supports a number of other mandated programs, such as the Firearms Transaction Program and the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. Many of the systems and activities associated with this service area are mandated by the Code of Virginia. Applicable code sections include the following:

    § 19.2-387. Central Criminal Records Exchange to operate as a division of Department of State Police.
    § 52-4. Functions of Department.
    § 52-8. Powers and duties to enforce criminal laws and investigate aircraft accidents.
    § 52-12. Establishment of communication system.
    § 52-13. Installation, operation and maintenance of system; personnel.
    § 52-14. Availability of system.
    § 52-15. Control of system; orders, rules or regulations.
    § 52-16. Governor may establish and maintain radio and teletype system to aid police.
    § 52-25. Uniform crime reporting system established.
    § 52-25.1. Reporting of confiscated firearms.
    § 52-31. Missing Children Information Clearinghouse established.
    § 52-31.1. Superintendent to establish network.
    § 52-45. Protective Order Registry established.
    § 52-46. Applicant Fingerprint Database; maintenance; dissemination; penalty.
    § 4.1-103.1. Criminal history records check required on certain employees; reimbursement of costs.
    § 9.1-127. Establishment of statewide criminal justice information system; duties of Board generally; assistance of other agencies; relationship to Department of State Police.
    § 9.1-142. Powers of Department relating to private security services businesses.
    § 9.1-185.5. (Effective July 1, 2005) Bail bondsman licensure requirements.
    § 9.1-186.5. (Effective October 1, 2005) Bail enforcement agent license; criminal history records check.
    § 9.1-903. Registration procedures.
    § 9.1-904. Reregistration.
    § 9.1-906. Enrollment or employment at institution of higher learning; information required.
    § 9.1-907. Procedures upon a failure to register or reregister.
    § 9.1-909. Relief from registration or reregistration.
    § 9.1-910. Removal of name and information from Registry.
    § 9.1-911. Registry maintenance.
    § 9.1-912. Registry access and dissemination; fees.
    § 9.1-913. Public dissemination by means of the Internet.
    § 9.1-914. Automatic notification of registration to certain entities.
    § 9.1-916. Requests for Registry data by Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission; confidentiality.
    § 15.2-1718. Receipt of missing child reports.
    § 18.2-295. Registration of machine guns.
    § 18.2-308. Personal protection; carrying concealed weapons; when lawful to carry.
    § 18.2-308.2:2. Criminal history record information check required for the transfer of certain firearms
    § 18.2-308.2:3. Criminal background check required for employees of a gun dealer to transfer firearms; exemptions; penalties.
    § 18.2-472.1. Providing false information or failing to provide registration information; penalty; prima facie evidence.
    § 19.2-13. Special conservators of the peace; authority; jurisdiction; registration; bond; liability of employers; penalty; report.
    § 19.2-294.2. Procedure when aliens convicted of certain felonies; duties of probation and parole officer.
    § 19.2-387.1. Protective Order Registry; maintenance; access.
    § 19.2-389. Dissemination of criminal history record information.
    § 19.2-390. Reports to be made by local law-enforcement officers, conservators of the peace, clerks of court, Secretary of the Commonwealth and Corrections officials to State Police; material submitted by other agencies.
    § 19.2-390.01. (Effective October 1, 2004) Use of Virginia crime code references required.
    § 19.2-390.1. Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry; maintenance; access.
    § 19.2-390.3. Child Pornography Images Registry; maintenance; access.
    § 19.2-392.02. National criminal background checks by businesses and organizations regarding employees or volunteers providing care to children, the elderly and disabled.
    § 19.2-392.2. Expungement of police and court records.
    § 54.1-3405. Access to and copies of records; inspections.
    § 54.1-4200. Definitions.
    § 58.1-4008. Employees of the Department; background investigations of employees.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Department Employees Department Employees 2,829 2,829
Entities Registered for Community Notification of Sex Offenders Entities Registered for community notification of sex offenders 1,924 0
Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies 0 0
Gun Dealers Gun Dealers 1,800 1,800
Out of State Citizens Out of State Citizens 0 0
Retired Law Enforcement Personnel Retired Law Enforcement Personnel 0 0
Sex Offenders Sex Offenders 15,096 15,096
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The department will be expanding its customer base by adding 1,500 private security firms to the Virginia Critical Information Shared System.

Currently, the Sex Offender Registry has 15,096 registered sex offenders who must be monitored. Due to changes in the statute effective July 1, 2006, additional sex offenders and offenses were added to the registry. Among these changes is the requirement that all offenders have their home, work, and school addresses verified. During 2007, troopers confirmed 15,714 addresses, which is an increase of 13,821 from the previous year.

Live Scan is an integrated booking system that electronically captures, prints, and transmits fingerprints and data. In recent years, the number of Live Scan transactions has increased significantly. More than 262,000 arrest fingerprints were electronically transmitted to State Police in 2007 from local law enforcement agencies. This represents 92 percent of the arrest volume in Virginia. Approximately 90 percent of the arrests received electronically at State Police were processed without human intervention.

In 2007, almost 172,000 applicant prints were processed through the automated applicant system, which reduces the turnaround time from months to days. Seventy percent of these applicant requests were initiated at Live Scan devices and were processed with minimal human intervention.

In 2007, the Live Scan Network was expanded to 395 systems in 264 local law enforcement and civil applicant agencies. The number of Live Scan transactions is guaranteed to increase as additional units are deployed to new agencies. In addition, the department is actively working with local agencies and our offices to plan for the submission of an increasing volume of non-criminal justice fingerprints. This includes the electronic submission of fingerprints for criminal history checks, sex offender registration, and employment background checks in specific fields.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    As a result of the events of September 11, 2001, the federal government has mandated new standards to improve law enforcement information sharing nationwide. These standards are critical to homeland security efforts and are based on the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). It is important to note that the U.S. Department of Justice has mandated the adoption of this standard for states and localities that are competing for federal grants. Major changes are needed to State Police applications to meet these requirements.

    Virginia’s Enterprise Applications Program is looking at data standards among state agencies to improve communications between agencies and systems. This potentially could conflict with the national information sharing initiatives such as NIEM.

    There is increasing pressure on VSP to provide for statewide information sharing services from the criminal justice community in Virginia. This would also include transmission of data to the new FBI N-DEx system for national sharing. There are multiple regional sharing systems being implemented in Virginia. It is critical that VSP provide a leadership role in ensuring that information cannot only be shared statewide among these and local systems, but be provided at a national level. A major upgrade of VSP systems and expansion of VSP IT personnel will be required to implement and support these services.

    The implementation of Virginia’s Project Management Standard by VITA has greatly increased the paperwork required for all IT projects in excess of $100,000 for personnel and/or equipment costs. This has greatly increased the workload on the department’s systems analysts, added to the project costs, and lengthened the time to implement projects. The designation of the Central Criminal Image System as a major project by VITA added two months and almost $40,000 to the project costs in addition to more than 300 hours of analyst time to provide the required documentation for this low complexity statewide project. Effective project planning is critical to the success of a system and VSP’s IT Division needs project management personnel to oversee these efforts. Otherwise the efficiency of the department’s analysts will be greatly impacted.

    The establishment of Virginia’s Enterprise Architecture (EA) standards requires that agencies adopt a plan to transition the legacy technologies (e.g. COBOL, Mapper, etc.) to a more open and modern platform. VSP’s chosen platform (Oracle, Java/JEE, Websphere, Solaris operating system) meets the EA requirements. Procurement of applications that meet these requirements, however, will limit the choices available for purchase.

    The uncertainty of the status of Virginia’s Enterprise Applications has delayed the automation of multiple critical administrative systems such as Human Resources (which is mostly Mapper based) and Accounts Receivable and billing systems. VSP’s CJIS Division bills millions of dollars annually and the billing systems are outdated. Delaying the replacement of these systems increases the risk of their failure. In addition, the STARS program needs an asset management and inventory system. Due to the high costs in the STARS contract for this, any delay in implementation of this system would be costly to the department.

    The VITA/NG partnership has greatly increased the operational costs and complexity of management of the network, Exchange servers, and PC operations. It takes VSP personnel longer to resolve issues, renew maintenance support, and procure equipment and software. It has also required more oversight time on the part of IT management. Some VSP applications reside on a mixture of VSP and NG equipment (e.g. the backup for the VCIN files is controlled by NG along with the Sun servers that support the web applications). Currently, VSP engineers support both NG’s and VSP Solaris servers and related equipment. If NG engineers provided the support, it would tremendously complicate and most likely hinder the operations, enhancements and support of some of the critical applications. Critical and sensitive law enforcement applications need to reside solely on VSP equipment and be supported by VSP engineering. VITA/NG needs to be more responsive to the department’s network and PC procurement and support needs by providing high quality and timely service to all department offices located throughout the Commonwealth.

    The Sex Offender Registry and Mental Health Record checks are expected to continue to undergo significant legislative changes. VSP needs sufficient IT staff to respond to these endeavors without impacting the schedules of other projects. Historically, resources have been diverted to implement these changes which have delayed other projects.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    The STARS program will continue to be deployed. Two State Police divisions are currently operational. It is anticipated that four additional State Police divisions will be operational on the STARS network in the next biennium, leaving one remaining to be completed.

    VSP will continue to modernize and replace the department’s legacy Mapper and COBOL applications with new applications that are built on Oracle, Java/JEE, and Solaris platforms. The lack of legacy support personnel in the marketplace coupled with the reliance upon vendor proprietary products put these systems at risk. Purchase of proven off-the-shelf applications, especially where the source code can be procured, will be given primary emphasis. In-house development will be considered in cases where there are no viable, cost effective solutions in the marketplace. In either case, preference will be given to n-tiered, SOA applications that conform to the EA standards.

    These software solutions will incorporate new federal standards including the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). The central repository systems will be designed to accommodate improved interfaces with related law enforcement systems within the agency, such as the Law Enforcement Activity Management System (LEAMS). Additionally, to facilitate information sharing, capability will be built in central repository applications to interface with local law enforcement and other state agency applications, as well as federal law enforcement applications using the NIEM standard.

    VSP has received federal grant funds for the Law Enforcement Activity Management System (LEAMS) project which was initiated in FY2008. The LEAMS project will provide a comprehensive system to support the documentation of criminal investigations and related law enforcement activities and reduce the agency’s dependence on burdensome paper-based workflows and difficult-to-change legacy technologies. The federally funded LEAMS system will replace multiple legacy Mapper systems (FACTS, Evidence Tracking, Legal Documents, etc.) that are critical to State Police’s investigative units. LEAMS has received development approval from VITA and the ITIB and Phase 1 is expected to be implemented by late 2009. The system will make use of up-to-date technology to upgrade process controls, management/supervisory oversight, data quality, processing timeliness, system access, analytical tools, and intra-agency and inter-agency cooperation needed to maintain quality law enforcement records as mandated under §15.2.-1722 of the Code of Virginia.

    Requirements are currently being documented and specifications drafted for the replacement of the Firearms System. Development of this system will be outsourced and is planned to be completed by June 2009.

    VSP has received planning approval for five major projects: Virginia Intelligence Management System (VIMS), Replacement and Enhancement of the Central Criminal History (CCH) application, Replacement and Enhancement of the Statewide Incident-Based Reporting System (IBR), Automation of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Program (MVIP), and the Central Criminal Repository and Support Systems Improvement. These are in addition to the two major projects that are currently under development: STARS and LEAMS.

    Funding was received for the replacement and enhancement of the Tactical Intelligence Processing System (TIPS). The TIPS System provides for the collection, compilation, reporting, and dissemination of information across the Commonwealth of Virginia including DMV photos. The scope of the replacement system, known as the Virginia Intelligence Management System (VIMS), is currently being developed by the VSP Criminal Intelligence Division. Implementation of VIMS will help increase the public’s safety and security which is a goal of “Virginia Future.” It will further Goals 3 and 5 in the COVA Strategic IT Plan.

    The CCH application is accessed extensively by the criminal justice community to determine an offender’s identification and his/her prior criminal record. The current legacy Computerized Criminal History System is more than 30 years old and does not meet Virginia's Enterprise Architecture standards. This system is the sole repository for Virginia's arrests and court dispositions and is relied upon by the entire criminal justice community (law enforcement, courts, Commonwealth attorneys, jails, etc.) for accurate offender information. The CCH System records are based on fingerprint submissions from law enforcement which ensure the accuracy of the records.

    In 2004, the CCH System was moved from the Unisys mainframe to a UNIX based system. Although it runs on a modern hardware environment, it is not able to take advantage of many of the features of that environment because it relies upon a proprietary emulation package to operate. Because of the risk associated with that package and the need to provide a more modern and flexible environment for the CCH system in order to respond better to changing business and legislative needs, it is essential that the system be replaced. Additionally, because of the older and proprietary features of this system, support personnel are not readily available in the marketplace which further increases the risk. Its older architecture makes it difficult to respond to legislative initiatives, prevents needed database enhancements, makes interfaces more difficult and costly to implement, and requires IT staff for routine report generation.

    The new CCH System will support a queue driven process based on business rules that will allow managers to monitor system workflows, have more oversight, and identify problem areas. Law enforcement agencies throughout Virginia, in addition to the Supreme Court and Department of Corrections, are interfaced with this system. Public and private entities rely upon criminal history information in employment and other types of applicant checks. Enhancements to this system will provide for increased public safety and improved interfaces with the other agencies. This project would address Goals 3 and 5 in the COVA IT Strategic Plan.

    The IBR replacement project will improve the submission and access of incident and arrest information from local law enforcement agencies. Local agencies throughout Virginia are mandated to report statistical information monthly on incidents and arrests on certain categories of crimes. VSP in turn provides this data to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) operated by the FBI. The current IBR system is based on transitional technology (MFCOBOL) and relies upon the proprietary emulation software for its operations. This software is supported by a small firm. The current IBR system is difficult to maintain or enhance because of its design and architecture. There are numerous enhancements that have been requested that are costly to implement in the current system environment including reporting of data to the FBI’s N-DEx system, geo-coding of data, and incorporation of an Offense Tracking number that will provide for correlation with other databases. These enhancements will increase the detection of crime trends and aid investigators in determining where to concentrate their efforts. This project directly supports COVA IT Strategic Goals 1, 2 and 3.

    Funding was provided by the 2006 General Assembly for the administration of the annual Motor Vehicle Inspection Program (MVIP). As part of this, planning has begun for the automation of the inspection files and receipts. Virginia's Annual Motor Vehicle Inspection Program (MVIP) has been an integral part of Virginia's overall highway safety program since its inception in 1932. During this time, the number of inspections has grown to over six million annually. A record of each inspection performed is recorded on receipts which are mailed to State Police where they are processed manually. This data is used in law enforcement investigations, as evidence in court, and in the management of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Program. Because of the tremendous volume of manual transactions to process, paper may get misplaced and filing storage space is limited to 18 months. As a result, data often is unavailable when required. Automating this process will provide for electronic submission and retrieval of motor vehicle inspection data from inspection stations. It will make this information electronically available to law enforcement agencies and will improve public safety by providing better information on inspections. This addresses COVA IT Strategic Goals 1, 2 and 5.

    VSP has multiple Mapper and MFCOBOL systems that support the law enforcement operations and other central repositories such as the Consolidated Applicant Tracking System, Mentally Incapacitated, Gun Sellers and other databases, Central ORI and Statute tables, etc. Because of the legacy architecture, it is difficult to interface these systems with the newer applications. This adds complexity for the newer applications and it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find personnel to support these systems. In addition, some of the functionality is duplicated between systems and replacement will ensure that they will be available in the future to support the law enforcement efforts and legislative mandates for the department. These efforts directly support Goals 3 and 5 of the COVA Strategic IT plan.

    State Police has compelling administrative automation needs for human resources, inventory and financial systems. There are multiple large billing systems for applicant and firearms checks which are based on COBOL and Mapper that need to be replaced. VSP has acquired licenses for the enterprise application, Oracle E-Business Suite, to support the STARS Help Desk and the Finance Division’s operations. To date, the Help Desk and General Ledger/Accounts Payable modules have been implemented. The department is reviewing options for further automation of its administrative functions and is coordinating these efforts with VITA’s Project Management Division and with Virginia’s Enterprise Application Program’s efforts. Due to the delay in Virginia’s Enterprise Applications Program, it will necessitate the expansion of State Police’s Oracle E-Business Suite, procurement of another COTS product or development of a new system to meet these requirements.

    State Police anticipates that multiple non-major projects will be initiated or completed in the 2008-10 biennium. They are as follows:

    • Replacement of the Firearms System which automates the mandated instant gun check - The replacement system will meet Virginia’s EA standards and will automate many of the manual processes associated with the approval process.
    • STARS Asset Management System – The implementation of an asset tracking system will automate STARS inventory control and tracking procedures. The current system is costly and does not provide up-to-date information.
    • Sex Offender Web Site Enhancement – The data displayed on the site needs to be real time, show multiple employers for one offender, and show multiple offenders at one address. The current architecture is difficult to support and costly to change.
    • VCIN Server Upgrade – The VCIN AIX and Fujitsu servers need to be expanded and refreshed periodically to handle increasing data and transaction volumes and to ensure that vendor support is available.
    • Replacement of the Activity Management System – State Police needs to replace its Mapper reporting systems which track trooper and investigative tasks. This system provides information to management to ensure the most effective use of sworn personnel resources.
    • Digital Crime Scene Image System - This system will provide for automated submission, processing and electronic storage of digital photos taken by investigators.
    • AFIS and Electronic System Upgrade – The AFIS and Electronic Fingerprint Archive systems need to be upgraded and refreshed periodically to handle increasing data and transaction volumes and to ensure continued vendor support.
    • Enhancement of the core Sex Offender Registry System – The current system is based on Oracle Forms and Reports and relies upon a vendor for support and to make legislative and other changes. Redevelopment of this in an environment that meets Virginia’s EA standards would enable the cost effective implementation of enhancements such as address validation and automated handling of NCIC transactions.
    • Enhancement of Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) System and Mobile Server System (MSS) to send, receive and process geographical coordinates between the CAD systems and the mobile users. The department also plans to use the Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) and Global Positioning System (GPS) to enhance officer safety and allow the department to track criminal and traffic trends using a geo-spatial system.

    State Police’s three key objectives are as follows:

    1) Enhance public safety by investigating and successfully closing cases concerning sex offenders who fail to register in accordance with the Code of Virginia;
    2) Improve the response to citizens requesting police services to ensure the safety of victims and increase the likelihood of apprehending offenders; and
    3) Decrease the response time to citizen calls for service.

    The STARS program is addressing the second and third key objectives by improving the communications infrastructure for law enforcement. Multiple enhancements to the Sex Offender Registry are in process which will increase the efficiency of the investigators and provide more up to date information to the public on sex offenders. This addresses both the first and second key objectives. The other projects such as LEAMS, CCH, VIMS, Firearms, SOR, and IBR, along with the other Central Repository projects, will ensure that law enforcement agencies will have rapid access to critical criminal justice information such as investigative cases, sex offender information, crime incident data, and to an offender’s criminal history data. These projects all increase the likelihood of apprehending offenders which is the second key objective.

    The upgrade of the VCIN, AFIS, and Electronic Archive Systems ensures that the service levels are maintained and that new improved functionality is added as it becomes available. These projects directly support the second key objective. VSP is also undertaking projects to increase the efficiencies of the investigators by implementing an Activity Management System to ensure the most effective resource usage and the adoption of digital cameras for automated submission, storage and access to investigative photos. These systems would contribute to both the second and third key objectives. Upgrades to the department’s CAD system and automation of the motor vehicle inspection program would also increase the efficiencies of the department’s personnel which would support the third key objective.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Mission-critical criminal justice applications
    • Administrative applications
    • Information technology hardware and support
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The primary source of funding for the Information Technology Division of the Department of State Police is from the general fund. In addition to the general fund, $900,000 is transferred to the Department of State Police from the Department of Motor Vehicles in support of data lines. The DMV transfer was authorized by the General Assembly to supplant $900,000 in general fund appropriation to the Department of State Police.

    Funds appropriated to this service area support the staff and related expenses for information technology. The most significant expense in this area is salary and related benefits.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $11,315,302 $4,800,000    $11,315,302 $6,100,000
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $11,315,302  $4,800,000     $11,315,302  $6,100,000 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Maintain the Live Scan network for the efficient electronic submission of criminal and civil transactions
    Objective Description
    The department’s Live Scan network electronically captures and transmits arrest and fingerprint information to the State Police and the FBI. This network enhances agencies’ ability to detect aliases and outstanding warrants on arrestees prior to their release. In 2007, the Live Scan Network was expanded to 395 systems in 264 local law enforcement and civil applicant agencies. More than 262,000 arrest fingerprints were electronically transmitted to State Police in 2007 from local agencies. This represents 92 percent of the arrest volume in Virginia. Approximately 90 percent of the arrests received electronically at State Police were processed without human intervention. In 2007, almost 172,000 applicant prints were processed through the automated applicant system, which reduced the turnaround time from months to days. Seventy percent of these applicant requests were initiated at Live Scan devices and were processed with minimal human intervention.
    Objective Strategies
    • Monitor information technology operations to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Seek additional funding to augment personnel in the Information Technology Division.
    Objective Measures
    • Percentage of criminal transactions submitted through the Live Scan network
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Up

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      91
      Date:
      6/30/2009

      Measure Target Description: Have at least 91 percent of criminal transactions transmitted through the Live Scan network in each quarter of FY2009 and 92 percent in each quarter of FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The number of criminal transactions submitted through the Live Scan network is divided by the total number of criminal transactions for the quarter.

    • Percentage of civil transactions submitted through the Live Scan network
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Up

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      70
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Have at least 70 percent of civil transactions transmitted through the Live Scan network in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The number of civil transactions submitted through the Live Scan network is divided by the total number of civil transactions for the quarter.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 2 of 17
Criminal Justice Information Services (156 302 03)
Description

The Criminal Justice Information Service Area encompasses the collection, storage, and retrieval of important law enforcement data. This area includes criminal history records, fingerprints, investigative reports, and photo laboratories. This service area is also responsible for all records pertaining to the department, both administrative and archival. The Incident-Based Reporting (IBR) System collects and analyzes crime statistics submitted by participating law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Crime statistics collected include data on 26 different offense categories and on arrests for all criminal offenses. The Criminal Justice Information Service Area also administers the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) and maintains the Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) and the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). It is the repository for Concealed Weapons Permits and the Sex Offender Registry. In addition, the Virginia Missing Children’s Clearinghouse and the Non-Criminal Justice Interface (NCJI) are maintained in this Division. Activation of the AMBER Alert and Senior Alert systems is also coordinated by the Criminal Justice Information Service Area.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area is closely aligned with five goals in the department’s strategic plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property; (2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways; (3) striving to eliminate illegal drug use within Virginia; (4) providing available department resources to any requesting law enforcement agency; and (5) ensuring the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    Many of the systems and activities associated with this service area are mandated by the Code of Virginia. Applicable code sections include the following:

    § 19.2-387. Central Criminal Records Exchange to operate as a division of Department of State Police.
    § 52-12. Establishment of communication system.
    § 52-13. Installation, operation and maintenance of system; personnel.
    § 52-14. Availability of system.
    § 52-15. Control of system; orders, rules or regulations.
    § 52-16. Governor may establish and maintain radio and teletype system to aid police.
    § 52-25. Uniform crime reporting system established.
    § 52-25.1. Reporting of confiscated firearms.
    § 52-31. Missing Children Information Clearinghouse established.
    § 52-31.1. Superintendent to establish network.
    § 52-34.1. Definitions.
    § 52-34.2. Establishment of the Virginia Amber Alert Program.
    § 52-34.3. Activation of Amber Alert Program upon an incident of child abduction.
    § 52-34.4. Definitions.
    § 52-34.5. Establishment of the Virginia Senior Alert Program.
    § 52-34.6. Activation of Senior Alert Program upon an incident of a missing senior adult.
    § 52-45. Protective Order Registry established.
    § 52-46. Applicant Fingerprint Database; maintenance; dissemination; penalty.
    § 4.1-103.1. Criminal history records check required on certain employees; reimbursement of costs.
    § 9.1-127. Establishment of statewide criminal justice information system; duties of Board generally; assistance of other agencies; relationship to Department of State Police.
    § 9.1-142. Powers of Department relating to private security services businesses.
    § 9.1-185.5. (Effective July 1, 2005) Bail bondsman licensure requirements.
    § 9.1-186.5. (Effective October 1, 2005) Bail enforcement agent license; criminal history records check.
    § 15.2-1718. Receipt of missing child reports.
    § 18.2-295. Registration of machine guns.
    § 18.2-308. Personal protection; carrying concealed weapons; when lawful to carry.
    § 18.2-308.2:2. Criminal history record information check required for the transfer of certain firearms.
    § 18.2-308.2:3. Criminal background check required for employees of a gun dealer to transfer firearms; exemptions; penalties.
    § 19.2-13. Special conservators of the peace; authority; jurisdiction; registration; bond; liability of employers; penalty; report.
    § 19.2-294.2. Procedure when aliens convicted of certain felonies; duties of probation and parole officer.
    § 19.2-387.1. Protective Order Registry; maintenance; access.
    § 19.2-389. Dissemination of criminal history record information.
    § 19.2-390. Reports to be made by local law-enforcement officers, conservators of the peace, clerks of court, Secretary of the Commonwealth and Corrections officials to State Police; material submitted by other agencies.
    § 19.2-390.01. (Effective October 1, 2004) Use of Virginia crime code references required.
    § 19.2-392.02. National criminal background checks by businesses and organizations regarding employees or volunteers providing care to children, the elderly and disabled.
    § 19.2-392.2. Expungement of police and court records.
    § 54.1-4200. Definitions.
    § 58.1-4008. Employees of the Department; background investigations of employees.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies 0 0
Out of State Citizens Out of State Citizens 0 0
Out of State Courts Out of State Courts 0 0
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465
Virginia Courts Virginia Courts 326 326

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) staff is responsible for the administrative operation of VCIN which incorporates the application process, access, training, technical revision and audit of over 28,000 users. This process is rapidly falling behind due to the increase in users, equipment authorized to access VCIN, and wireless technology. The increased demand for service is overwhelming personnel resources and degrading quality of service. This is of particular concern in the area of physical and technical security. It is essential that resources are in place to maintain the integrity of the network.

Live Scan is an integrated booking system that electronically captures, prints, and transmits fingerprints and data. In recent years, the number of Live Scan transactions has increased significantly. More than 262,000 arrest fingerprints were electronically transmitted to State Police in 2007 from local law enforcement agencies. This represents 92 percent of the arrest volume in Virginia. Approximately 90 percent of the arrests received electronically at State Police were processed without human intervention.

In 2007, almost 172,000 applicant prints were processed through the automated applicant system, which reduces the turnaround time from months to days. Seventy percent of these applicant requests were initiated at Live Scan devices and were processed with minimal human intervention.

In 2007, the Live Scan Network was expanded to 395 systems in 264 local law enforcement and civil applicant agencies. The number of Live Scan transactions is guaranteed to increase as additional units are deployed to new agencies. In addition, the department is actively working with local agencies and our offices to plan for the submission of an increasing volume of non-criminal justice fingerprints. This includes the electronic submission of fingerprints for criminal history checks, sex offender registration, and employment background checks in specific fields.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    The Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) staff is responsible for the administrative operation of VCIN which incorporates the application process, access, training, technical revision and audit of over 28,000 users. This process is rapidly falling behind due to the increase in users, equipment authorized to access VCIN, and wireless technology. The increased demand for service is overwhelming personnel resources and degrading quality of service. This is of particular concern in the area of physical and technical security. It is essential that resources are in place to maintain the integrity of the network.

    The technical audits are becoming more important with the proliferation of wireless devices accessing VCIN. Additionally, the CJIS Division is having challenges meeting the requirements to ensure that Non-Criminal Justice Interface (NCJI) and Incident-Based Reporting (IBR) agencies are in compliance. There are federal requirements for audits and the department is not currently able to conduct any IBR audits. In addition, there are over 28,000 VCIN operators who need to be recertified every three years; this recertification is required by federal mandate. Additional analysts are needed to assist on VCIN audits and training.

    Due to new and proposed legislation, the number of Applicant Fingerprint Card submissions is projected to increase by 50 percent. Also, with the new lower pricing and availability of Live Scan machines, the AFIS Section anticipates installing over 300 machines within the next several years. Additional personnel are needed to handle the increased workload.

    Inadequate staffing is adversely impacting operations in other areas, including the Uniform Crime Reporting Section, the Virginia Criminal Information Network and the visitor reception area at State Police headquarters.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    The increased workload in this service area is overwhelming current staff. For example, the FBI requires the state to implement regular audits of the local agencies that contribute to the Incident-Based Reporting (IBR) Program. A recent audit indicated that the department is not in compliance with this requirement. If manpower in this area is not increased, service to the criminal justice community and the citizens of Virginia will continue to decline.

    VSP has proposed a number of new projects that impact products and services of the Criminal Justice Information Services area, including Replacement and Enhancement of the Central Criminal History (CCH) application, Replacement and Enhancement of the Statewide Incident-Based Reporting System (IBR), and the Central Criminal Repository and Support Systems Improvement. These are in addition to these major projects that are currently under development: the Central Criminal Image System (CCIS) and the Law Enforcement Activity Management System (LEAMS). All of these projects involve other agencies or the public.

    The CCH application is accessed extensively by the criminal justice community to determine an offender’s identification and his/her prior criminal record. Law enforcement agencies throughout Virginia, in addition to the Supreme Court and the Department of Corrections, are interfaced with this system. Public and private entities rely upon criminal history information in employment and other types of applicant checks. Enhancements to this system will provide for increased public safety and improved interfaces with the other agencies.

    The IBR replacement project will improve the submission and access of incident and arrest information from local law enforcement agencies. It will increase the detection of crime trends and aid investigators in determining where to concentrate their efforts.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Activation of the AMBER Alert system
    • Provision of criminal history records for criminal and non-criminal purposes
    • Fingerprinting services - Criminal
    • Collection and analysis of crime data
    • Submission of statewide crime data to federal government
    • Maintenance of VCIN for all criminal justice agencies in Virginia
    • Statewide point-of-contact for National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
    • Maintenance of Automated Fingerprint Identification System
    • Maintenance of Missing Children Clearinghouse
    • Statewide point-of-contact for NLETS
    • Activation of Senior Alert System
    • Fingerprinting services - Non-Criminal
    • Maintenance of Machine Gun Registry
    • Maintenance of Sex Offender Registry
    • Maintenance of Firearms Transaction Center
    • Maintenance of Fusion Center
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    Funding for the Criminal Justice Information Service Division of the Department of State Police is provided by the general fund and federal grants. Federal grants have been received for the last several years and used to improve various functions within the area including criminal history and archiving of records and fingerprints.

    This service area generates revenue from the sale of criminal history information and fingerprints. Money collected from this source is returned to the general fund.

    Funds appropriated to this service area support the staff and related administrative expenses associated with providing the service.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $6,844,206 $1,291,059    $6,790,026 $1,191,059
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $6,844,206  $1,291,059     $6,790,026  $1,191,059 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Enhance efficiency and effectiveness of criminal justice agencies and improve officer safety and public safety by ensuring the availability of VCIN.
    Objective Description
    The primary function of VCIN is to provide a means of rapid communications for criminal justice agencies throughout the Commonwealth. In addition to the VCIN data files, the system provides user access to databases maintained by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Basically, these data files provide information concerning vehicles, persons, and property.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    • Agency Goal: Promote the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways.
    • Agency Goal: Strive to eliminate illegal drug use within Virginia.
    • Agency Goal: Provide available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies.
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to augment support personnel in the Criminal Justice Information Services Division.
    • Replace and enhance the Central Criminal History Application.
    • Improve the Central Criminal Repository and Support Systems.
    • Replace and enhance the Statewide Incident-Based Reporting System.
    • Upgrade the VCIN server.
    • Upgrade the AFIS and Electronic Fingerprint Archive Systems to handle increasing data and transaction volumes and to ensure continued vendor support.
    Objective Measures
    • The percentage of time each year the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) is available
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      99.5
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Ensure the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) is available at least 99.5 percent of the time in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The Engineering Section of the Information Technology Division logs VCIN down time in minutes. Using down time, VSP will calculate the percentage of time each quarter VCIN is available for queries and responses.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 3 of 17
Telecommunications and Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS) (156 302 04)
Description

The Telecommunications and STARS Service Area is responsible for radio maintenance, dispatch services, microwave installation and maintenance, telephone installation and maintenance, communications system upgrade, electronics, and support of other state agencies with their communication systems.

The Communications Division designs, installs, operates and maintains land mobile radios, microwave radios, and private telephone networks. This responsibility includes compliance with requirements of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Other functions include providing pager, cellular, and wireless data equipment and services; installing, repairing and maintaining radio towers; and providing communications support for special events.

The Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS) Program was originally conceived to be an upgrade to the Virginia State Police's antiquated 1977 land mobile radio system. As planning progressed, the project evolved into a shared system composed of the twenty-one state agencies that use two-way radio communication as a regular part of their operations. The implementation phase of STARS is now underway. STARS will be one of the first statewide systems to employ digital trunked technology in the VHF 150 MHz band. It will also be one of the first projects to employ an integrated voice and data land mobile radio architecture, which uses the same mobile radio for both voice and law enforcement computer communications. Virginia will, therefore, have statewide mobile data coverage.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    Communications is critical to all department operations. This service area supports the accomplishment of all the department’s goals, including (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property; ( 2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways; (3) striving to eliminate illegal drug use within Virginia; (4) providing available department resources to any requesting law enforcement agency; (5) ensuring the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel; and (6) continually seeking ways to deliver the most cost-effective and efficient law enforcement services possible.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    Section 52-16 of the Code of Virginia authorizes the Governor to establish and maintain a radio and teletype system to aid law enforcement agencies in Virginia.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Commissions/Authorities Commissions/Authorities 2 2
Department Employees Department Employees 2,829 2,829
STARS Agencies STARS Agencies 21 21
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465
Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies 285 285

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The department has received grant funding to expand inoperability through COMLINC. Motorola’s Motobridge interoperability solution, renamed COMLINC (Commonwealth Link to Interoperable Communications) within Virginia, allows dispatchers at the counties and cities to establish up to eight patches. One of the eight paths will come back to the STARS network. The local dispatchers may use the other seven patches to connect agencies within their jurisdictions or to other localities. For example, a sheriff’s department can patch to the fire department regardless of the frequencies used by each agency. Patches can also be made to phone networks and used to establish dispatcher conferences. By using COMLINC, the requirement to call by phone to establish a patch no longer exists; each dispatcher initiates the patch themselves at their console. COMLINC also provides instant recall of recorded audio. It enables the use of advanced calling features such as Emergency ID, and allows monitoring of the interoperability network activity and associated operations. For agencies requiring end-to-end encryption, COMLINC provides AES encryption over the network. COMLINC was implemented in 16 localities in Division 1, and at VSP Divisions 1 and 5, along with the STARS Network Operations Center (NOC). The current COMLINC participants are the counties of: Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Essex, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King George, Lancaster, New Kent, Northumberland, Powhatan, Richmond, Westmoreland, Amelia, Nottoway, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). COMLINC will be expanded statewide if additional funding can be obtained. The utilization of this technology will greatly increase the department’s customer base. In addition, as STARS implementation progresses, the department anticipates offering local law enforcement agencies an opportunity to participate on the STARS network.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    The implementation of STARS will have a significant impact on workload in the Communications Division. This effort will add many features and contribute to the public safety and quality of life for the citizens of Virginia. To support and maintain the 131 communications transmitter sites and the 19 COMLINC sites, the department will require additional resources. The efforts and efficiency of the current communications staff are critical to the operations of the State Police and the additional twenty-one state agencies that will be supported. The STARS User Agency Requirements Committee (UARC) unanimously recommended for the State Police to be the sole service provider. This will reduce overall cost to the Commonwealth and provide consistent, high quality maintenance and installations. Additional manpower is required to support and maintain STARS.

    The garage has seen significant increases in the amount of equipment installed in department vehicles such as in-car videos and mobile computer terminals. The implementation of the STARS has also impacted the installation time required to equip a vehicle for issue. These increased demands have made it difficult for the garage staff to keep up with the demands for new replacement vehicles for the field. In order to accommodate current workload, the department needs to add personnel to the garage staff.

    In addition, the Office of Performance Management and Internal Controls conducted a study of garage operations and long-term maintenance requirements for the STARS equipment. In order to provide maintenance of STARS equipment for the department and 21 STARS agencies, the department is planning to replace the garage building with a building sufficient to meet current and future demands. Adding a new garage with 20 bays and increasing the number of vehicles serviced from approximately 2,400 department vehicles to a total of 4,798 vehicles will require additional staffing.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    Since signing the contract, the mobile data requirements for the Department of State Police and the STARS law enforcement agencies have changed. The Integrated Voice and Data (IV&D) Network provides a limited data capability that will not support sending DMV photographs, Amber Alert photographs, nor will it support an over the air Records Management System (RMS). STARS mobile data users will now have the option to use a Verizon Air Card to provide the required capacity to support sending photographs and RMS files over the air. The Verizon cards will provide the primary mobile data transport with the IV&D mobile data as secondary where Verizon coverage is unavailable, as may be the case during a significant disastrous event.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Wireless radio communications services
    • Telephone communications services
    • Microwave telephone communications services
    • Mobile data services
    • Call-taking and dispatching services
    • Installation and maintenance of electronics
    • Tower maintenance
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The primary source of funds for the Telecommunications and STARS Service Area is provided by the general fund. Of the total operating budget, $3.7 million is provided through special funds from the E911 Service Board. The $3.7 million resulted from a budgetary transaction where $3.7 million in general fund was reduced from the Department of State Police and replaced with $3.7 million in non-general funds collected by the E911 Service Board.

    This service area provides the coordination and support for the State Police radio system as well as various forms of commercial communications.

    This service area includes the Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS) Project which will replace and enhance the current State Police radio system. Funding for STARS is provided through bonds and the general fund.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $13,740,591 $3,750,000    $13,740,591 $5,926,000
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $13,740,591  $3,750,000     $13,740,591  $5,926,000 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Provide a reliable, statewide radio system.
    Objective Description
    The Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS) should provide reliable voice and data communications for all personnel using the system. Personnel experiencing problems with the system contact the STARS Help Desk where any equipment or system problems are documented. Problems are corrected in a timely manner to ensure operational effectiveness.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    • Agency Goal: Promote the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways.
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel.
    Objective Strategies
    • Monitor STARS implementation and operation to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Upgrade existing Virginia State Police land mobile radio and microwave networks to create a shared network.
    • Develop the STARS Asset Management Tracking System.
    • Enhance the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) System and the Mobile Server System (MSS) to send, receive and process geographical coordinates between the CAD systems and the mobile users.
    • Use the Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) to enhance officer safety and allow the department to track criminal and traffic trends using a geo-spatial system.
    Objective Measures
    • Average time required to respond to and correct STARS trouble calls
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Down

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      17
      Date:
      6/30/2009

      Measure Target Description: Correct STARS trouble calls within an average of 17 days in each quarter of FY2009 and 16 days in each quarter of FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The response time for the call is the time between the initial receipt of the call and the time the problem is corrected and the call closed by the STARS Help Desk. The time format is in days.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 4 of 17
Firearms Purchase Program (156 302 06)
Description

The Virginia Firearms Transaction Program has been cited as an exemplary program and used as a model for other states. This service area provides gun dealers with instantaneous confirmation of prospective a purchaser’s eligibility to purchase a firearm. The Firearms Transaction Program provides for the approval at the point-of-sale for all firearms, except antiques and curios, based on the results of a criminal history record information check on the buyer by accessing all appropriate state databases and the National Instant Check System (NICS). This service area also includes investigation of illegal attempts to purchase firearms, the multiple handgun purchase system, machine gun registration, and the criminal firearms clearinghouse.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    The Firearms Program Service Area is essential to accomplishing the department’s goal of ensuring the safety of citizens and their property by keeping firearms out of the hands of individuals who are prohibited by state law from possessing them.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The Virginia Firearms Transaction Program provides for a timely, point-of-sale, approval or disapproval decision regarding the sale or transfer of all firearms (except antiques) based upon the results of a criminal history record information check concerning the prospective purchaser pursuant to §18.2-308.2:2 of the Code of Virginia. Other mandated activities are addressed in the following sections:

    § 52-4.4. Duties relating to criminal history record information checks required by licensed firearms dealers.
    § 52-8.4:1. Regulations for firearms shows.
    § 52-25.1. Reporting of confiscated firearms.
    § 18.2-295. Registration of machine guns.
    § 18.2-308.2:3. Criminal background check required for employees of a gun dealer to transfer firearms; exemptions; penalties.
    § 37.2-819. Order of involuntary admission forwarded to CCRE; firearm background check.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Gun Dealers Gun Dealers 1,800 1,800
Out of State Citizens Out of State Citizens 0 0
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The workload in the Firearms Transaction Center has increased since the program's inception. In 2000, 182,170 firearm transactions were conducted. In 2007, 225,289 firearm transactions were conducted, which constitutes a 23.7 percent increase in transactions since 2000.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    If workload in the Firearms Transaction Center continues to increase without commensurate increases in staffing levels, the level of service provided to firearms dealers and purchasers will decrease. In order to provide timely and accurate clerical processes associated with illegal attempts to purchase firearms, issuance and maintenance of firearms seller identification numbers, processing of multiple handgun purchase certifications, and the entry/maintenance of the Firearms Clearinghouse and Conservator of the Peace appointments, the department needs increased staffing in this area.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    When the Firearms Transaction Program identifies a person attempting to illegally sell or purchase a firearm, the department initiates a criminal investigation into the matter. In 2007, the State Police requested 853 criminal investigations related to the illegal sale or attempt to purchase firearms, of which 690 (70 percent) resulted in arrests. Investigations related to the illegal sale or attempt to purchase firearms have placed a significant burden on field personnel, pulling them away from normal patrol and enforcement duties. First sergeants indicate these firearms investigations have taken up a significant number of man hours previously devoted to area and interstate patrol. This is particularly problematic in areas that have high-volume gun dealers. The department is seeking funding to establish a unit to investigate violations of Virginia’s firearms laws and provide on-site presence at large gun shows.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Background checks for gun purchase through toll-free telephone line or Internet access
    • Training for gun dealers
    • Public information materials, including brochures and information on the website
    • Required forms and written procedures for dealers
    • Appeal process for denied transactions
    • Investigation of illegal attempts to purchase firearms
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Firearms Purchasing Program of the Department of State Police is a self-supporting program. Funding for this service area is derived through a $2.00 charge for each gun sold by firearms dealers. The $2.00 fee is charged for the criminal history check that is required prior to the sale of a firearm.

    The fees collected for the service area pay for the staff and related support costs to operate the firearms center.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $0 $683,291    $0 $683,291
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $0  $683,291     $0  $683,291 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Prevent the illegal sale or purchase of firearms.
    Objective Description
    The Virginia Firearms Transaction Program provides for a timely, point-of-sale, approval or disapproval decision regarding the sale or transfer of all firearms (except antiques) based upon the results of a criminal history record information check concerning the prospective purchaser pursuant to §18.2-308.2:2 of the Code of Virginia. The main focus of this program is to enhance public safety by preventing purchases of firearms by individuals who are prohibited by state or federal law from legal access to firearms. If an improper approval permits the purchase of a firearm by an individual who is prohibited from possessing a firearm, the department initiates a retrieval of the firearm. A retrieval can also be caused by the department failing to respond to the dealer in a timely manner. Once the deadline is passed, the dealer may complete the transaction.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding for additional sworn positions to investigate the illegal sale and purchase of firearms and provide on-site presence at selected gun shows to handle violations of firearm laws.
    • Monitor the Firearms Transactions Program to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Improve the Central Criminal Repository and Support Systems.
    • Seek funding for additional civilian positions in the Firearms Transaction Center to replace expiring grant-funded positions and accommodate increasing workload.
    • Replace the Firearms System which automates the mandated instant gun check.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of firearms retrievals necessitated by improper approvals or failure to approve in a timely manner
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Down

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      0
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Totally eliminate the need for firearms retrievals, resulting in zero retrievals in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The Firearms Transaction Program tracks the number of retrievals that were preventable by the department and not due to an outside agency’s lack of information or dealer error.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 5 of 17
Sex Offender Registry Program (156 302 07)
Description

The department maintains the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry (SOR) pursuant to §19.2-390.1, Code of Virginia, for the protection of children and those individuals vulnerable to sexual offenders and predators. Persons having been convicted of certain criminal sex offenses are required to register and reregister with the SOR and such information is available to law enforcement officials, entities having control over or caring for children and to private individuals concerned about the safety of their children.

Information maintained in the SOR regarding violent sex offenders is available to all inquiring via the Internet. All public, parochial, denominational or private elementary or secondary schools, and any state-licensed or state-regulated child caring institutions, child day centers, child day programs, family day homes, foster homes or group homes that register with the SOR are notified of sex offenders residing in the community where their facilities are located.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area supports the department’s goal to ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property. Protecting the citizens of Virginia from known sex offenders is essential to the accomplishment of this goal.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The department maintains the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry (SOR) pursuant to §19.2-390.1, Code of Virginia, for the protection of children and those individuals vulnerable to sexual offenders and predators. Other sections governing this service area include:

    § 19.2-390.3. Child Pornography Images Registry; maintenance; access.
    § 9.1-903. Registration procedures.
    § 9.1-904. Reregistration.
    § 9.1-906. Enrollment or employment at institution of higher learning; information required.
    § 9.1-907. Procedures upon a failure to register or reregister.
    § 9.1-908. Duration of registration requirement.
    § 9.1-909. Relief from registration or reregistration.
    § 9.1-910. Removal of name and information from Registry.
    § 9.1-911. Registry maintenance.
    § 9.1-912. Registry access and dissemination; fees.
    § 9.1-913. Public dissemination by means of the Internet.
    § 9.1-914. Automatic notification of registration to certain entities.
    § 9.1-915. Regulations.
    § 9.1-916. Requests for Registry data by Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission; confidentiality.
    § 18.2-472.1. Providing false information or failing to provide registration information; penalty; prima facie evidence.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Entities Registered for Community Notification of Sex Offenders Entities Registered for Community Notification of Sex Offenders 1,924 0
Sex Offenders Sex Offenders 15,096 0
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
Increased public awareness will increase the use of the SOR website. Changes in the Code of Virginia may increase the number of persons classified as sex offenders and the number of entities eligible to register for community notification.

At this time, the Sex Offender Registry has 15,096 registered sex offenders who must be monitored. At the current rate, we are adding approximately 250 offenders to the total number of offenders each year.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    In Virginia, the Department of State Police is responsible for maintaining the state’s Sex Offender Registry (SOR). The SOR may be viewed and searched by the public on the Internet. The registry is a critical tool for protecting the public from sex offenders who have been released from prison.

    Sex offender investigations are typically performed by Sex Offender Investigative Unit troopers and these investigations, which were lengthy at the onset, have only become more cumbersome with the implementation of new laws and additional offenses that now serve to place more offenders on the registry. Additional manpower should be dedicated to this unit in order to more aggressively investigate sex offenders who fail to register.

    Currently, the Sex Offender Registry has 15,096 registered sex offenders who must be monitored. The Department of State Police monitors 5,472 offenders.

    Due to changes in the statute effective July 1, 2006, additional sex offenders and offenses were added to the registry. Among these changes is the requirement that all offenders have their home, work, and school addresses verified. During 2007, troopers confirmed 15,714 addresses, which is an increase of 13,821 from the previous year.

    Protecting the citizens of Virginia from known sex offenders is a critical public safety function. The department must have adequate personnel, both sworn and civilian, to ensure the accuracy of the registry and investigate sex offenders who fail to register or re-register.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    The department is currently redesigning the SOR and website to improve system stability and functionality. The new website will be easier to use and will provide more information to the public.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Maintenance of SOR website
    • Registration of sex offenders
    • Notification of registered entities when sex offenders move into their community
    • Response to inquiries on possible sex offenders
    • Verification of Offenders
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Sex Offender Registry Section of the Department of State Police is a self-supporting program. Funding for this service area is derived though fees charged for criminal history and sex offender registry checks.

    The fees collected for conducting SOR inquiries for public and private entities provide funding for the staff and related support costs to operate the Sex Offender Registry Section.

    The changes to base were a result of central appropriation adjustments for salary and benefits.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $635,589 $1,389,559    $634,377 $1,389,559
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $635,589  $1,389,559     $634,377  $1,389,559 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Enhance public safety by making information available to citizens regarding the location of known sex offenders.
    Objective Description
    The SOR is available via Internet pursuant to Section 9.1-913, of the Code of Virginia. Registry information is used for the purposes of the administration of criminal justice, screening of current or prospective employees, volunteers or otherwise for the protection of the public in general and children in particular.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    Objective Strategies
    • Redesign the SOR and website to improve system stability and functionality.
    • Monitor the SOR to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Enhance the core Sex Offender Registry System.
    • Seek funding for additional sworn personnel to expand the Sex Offender Investigative Unit.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of visitors to the Sex Offender Registry website.
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      604440
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Maintain the number of visitors at 604,440 in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The number of visitors to the SOR website each quarter is captured by a private vendor.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 6 of 17
Concealed Weapons Program (156 302 08)
Description

The Concealed Handguns Service Area is responsible for fingerprinting applicants for concealed handgun permits and checking them through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) to ensure they are eligible for a concealed handgun permit. The Concealed Handgun Service Area is also tasked with the processing of applications for nonresident concealed handgun permits and issuing concealed handguns permits to retired sworn employees of the Department of State Police, as well as monitoring firearms training of retired sworn employees of the Department of State Police with nationwide carry privileges. This area maintains the concealed handguns database on the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) by entering the permit holder’s name and description into the database. This includes permits held by residents, non-residents, retired law enforcement personnel, and sworn employees called to active duty with the reserve forces of the United States or on long-term leave due to a service-related injury. This service area also notifies circuit courts of violations involving persons with concealed handgun permits and of permit holders who become subject to protective orders, are involuntarily committed to a mental institution, or voluntarily admitted subsequent to a temporary detention order. The Concealed Handguns Service Area is tasked with issuing concealed handgun permits to retired sworn employees of the Department of State Police and monitoring firearms training of retired sworn employees of the Department of State Police with nationwide carry privileges.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area supports the department’s goals to (1) ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property; (2) provide available department resources to any requesting law enforcement agency; and (3) ensure the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    Section 18.2-308 of the Code of Virginia governs requirements and restrictions related to carrying concealed handguns. The department is mandated by § 52-14 to maintain the VCIN system, which includes the concealed handguns database. Virginia Code Section 18.2-308 was amended to require the court(s) to revoke any permit wherein notice of disqualification is provided by the Department of State Police.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Circuit Courts Circuit Courts 122 122
Out of State Citizens Out of State Citizens 3,139 0
Out of State Law Enforcement Agencies Out of State Law Enforcement Agencies 0 0
Retired Law Enforcement Personnel Retired Law Enforcement Personnel 4,260 0
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,769,089 7,769,089
Virginia Courts Virginia Courts 326 326
Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies 285 285

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The department does not anticipate any changes to its customer base in this service area.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    State and federal legislative changes regularly impact operations and workload in this service area. For example, in order to accommodate revisions to state and federal laws governing concealed weapons permits, the department must frequently initiate procedural and programmatic changes.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    The department has upgraded the monthly comparison of permit holders and subjects of protective orders to a daily comparison, and has expanded comparison of concealed handgun permit holders to include mental health commitments.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Fingerprint applicants for concealed handgun permits and check through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)
    • Maintain Concealed Weapons database on the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN), including residents, non-residents, and retired law enforcement personnel with concealed weapons permits
    • Notify Circuit Courts of violations involving persons with concealed weapons permits
    • Perform comparison of concealed weapons permit holders and subjects of protective orders, mental health commitments, and new arrests
    • Issue concealed weapons permits for retired sworn employees of the Department of State Police
    • Monitor firearms training of retired sworn employees of the Department of State Police with nationwide carry privileges
    • Provide up-to-date listings on the State Police website of states with concealed weapons reciprocity or recognition
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Concealed Weapons Program of the Department of State Police is a self-supporting program. Funding for this service area is derived though a $5.00 fee provided to the Department of State Police by the Courts for citizens applying for a concealed weapon permit.

    The fees collected for this service area provide funding for the staff and related support costs to operate the Concealed Weapons Program.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $0 $209,231    $0 $209,231
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $0  $209,231     $0  $209,231 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Enhance public safety by identifying persons with concealed weapons permits who have been involuntarily committed for mental health reasons or who are the subject of protective orders.
    Objective Description
    Pursuant to statute, the State Police enter the concealed handgun permit holder’s name and description in the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) so that the permit's existence and current status will be made known to law enforcement personnel accessing the VCIN for investigative purposes. Access to accurate and up-to-date information is critical for both public safety and officer safety. The department performs regular comparisons of the concealed handguns database with databases containing persons who have been involuntarily committed for mental health reasons, persons who are the subjects of protective orders, and new arrests. If the comparison indicates a prohibited person, the department notifies the circuit court that issued the permit so that it can be revoked.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    • Agency Goal: Provide available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies.
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel.
    Objective Strategies
    • Monitor the concealed weapons program to ensure operational effectiveness.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of hits between the concealed weapons permit database and the protective order and mental health databases
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      84
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Identify at least 84 persons who are unqualified to carry a concealed weapon due to mental health restrictions or protective orders in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The Firearms Transaction Center tracks the number of hits between the concealed weapons permit database and the mental health and protective order databases.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 7 of 17
Aviation Operations (156 310 01)
Description

The Aviation Service Area provides critical support to law enforcement operations, including medical evacuation of injured persons, search and rescue, and marijuana eradication. The Unit is headquartered at Chesterfield Airport and has bases in Manassas, Lynchburg, and Abingdon. Medevac units are located in Chesterfield, Lynchburg, and Abingdon. The Aviation Unit currently has seven helicopters and four planes.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    The Aviation Service Area supports the accomplishment of two goals in the department’s Strategic Plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property and (2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways. This service area is closely aligned with two long-term objectives for Virginia: (1) protecting the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds and (2) ensuring that Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, enables easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy, and improves the quality of life.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    Section 32.1-111.3 of the Code of Virginia requires the Board of Health to establish a statewide air medical evacuation system in coordination with the Department of State Police and other appropriate state agencies. There are no known federal mandates for this activity other than the FAA rules and regulations governing aircraft and their use.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Emergency Medical Response Personnel Emergency Medical Response Personnel 0 0
Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 0 0
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The department does not anticipate any changes to its customer base in this service area.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    Retaining experienced pilots presents an ongoing challenge to the Department of State Police. As experienced pilots leave, the department has to begin the time-consuming tasks of recruiting and selecting replacements. Frequently, the newly selected pilots require extensive training before they can function in all capacities.

    The department has a number of older airplanes and helicopters that need to be replaced. The first priority is replacement of the Eurocopter MBB BO-105 helicopters primarily assigned to Med-Flight II and Med-Flight III. These helicopters have been in service since 1993 and are no longer in production. This causes difficulty in obtaining parts for these aircraft. The recommended replacement for these helicopters is the Eurocopter EC-145 helicopter. It is also recommended that four aircraft be replaced with similar equipment over the next several budget cycles. The recommended replacement aircraft are the Cessna Skylane 182T and the Cessna Stationair 206H.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    If the department is not allowed to replace aging aircraft, the ability of the Aviation Unit to perform critical aviation operations, including medical evacuation, will be seriously diminished.

    In addition to replacement aircraft, the department needs to acquire a dedicated executive transport helicopter. The Virginia Department of Aviation has retained the services of a consulting firm to provide recommendations on future aircraft procurement for the State. One of the areas being looked at includes aircraft with vertical flight capabilities for the executive transport mission. Should the Department of State Police be tasked with providing aircraft for this mission, the recommended aircraft is the Bell 430 helicopter.

    The department also needs to acquire night vision devices for helicopter operations at night.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Marijuana eradication
    • Medical evacuation
    • Aerial surveillance
    • Search
    • Rescue
    • Tactical response
    • Flood operations
    • Aerial photography
    • Administrative transport
    • Executive transport
    • Demonstrations
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    Funding for the Department of State Police Aviation Operations is provided by the general fund and non-general funds from the Department of Health. Legislative action reduced the general fund for the Department of State Police and replaced the funding with non-general funds from the Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services.

    The Aviation Operations Service Area provides medical evacuations, search and rescue, and aviation support for law enforcement operations.

    Funds appropriated to this service area support the staff and related expenses associated with providing the service as well as aircraft related expenses.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $4,892,200 $1,045,375    $4,892,200 $1,045,375
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $4,892,200  $1,045,375     $4,892,200  $1,045,375 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Provide aviation support for law enforcement operations.
    Objective Description
    The department’s ability to conduct law enforcement operations is enhanced immeasurably by effective aviation support. This support includes surveillance, transportation of tactical response personnel, medical evacuation, search, rescue, flood operations, aerial photography, marijuana eradication, and transportation.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to replace four old airplanes with two Cessna Skylane 182Ts and two Cessna Stationair 206Hs.
    • Seek funding to replace the Eurocopter MBB BO-105 helicopters primarily assigned to Med-Flight II and Med-Flight III with Eurocopter EC-145 helicopters.
    • Seek funding to purchase a Bell 430 helicopter for executive transport.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of aviation missions completed
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      715
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Complete at least 715 aviation missions in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The number of aviation missions completed is captured in the Mission Activity Report.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 8 of 17
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (156 310 02)
Description

Maximum gross vehicle weight and vehicle size restrictions are necessary to reduce undue wear and tear of the highway surfaces and improve highway safety. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Service Area is responsible for the enforcement of large commercial vehicle size and weight regulations, which includes inspection of these vehicles.

Size and weight laws are enforced at permanent weighing facilities which operate on days, nights, weekends, and holidays. Portable scales are also used in this program.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area supports the accomplishment of two goals in the department’s Strategic Plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property and (2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement service area is closely aligned with two long-term objectives for Virginia: (1) protecting the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds and (2) ensuring that Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, enables easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy, and improves the quality of life.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The promotion of highway safety is identified in § 52-4 of the Code of Virginia as one of the main functions of the Department of State Police. Other code sections governing this service area include:

    Title 46.2, Chapter 3 - Licensure of Drivers
    Title 46.2, Chapter 6 - Titling and Registration of Vehicles
    Title 46.2, Chapter 8 - Regulation of Traffic
    Title 46.2, Chapter 10 - Motor Vehicle and Equipment Safety
    Title 46.2, Chapter 20 - Motor Vehicle Carriers Generally
    Title 58.1, Chapter 27 - Road Tax on Motor Carriers
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Motor Carriers Motor Carriers 0 500,000
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The department does not anticipate any change to the customer base of this service area.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    Commercial vehicle enforcement officers are routinely restricted to enforcement activities at permanent weighing facilities. When these facilities are closed for inclement weather, the department cannot reassign these personnel to other duties. Maintaining separate classifications for commercial vehicle enforcement officers and troopers limits the department's flexibility and decreases operational effectiveness.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    The department is currently reviewing the feasibility of converting all existing commercial vehicle enforcement officers (CVEOs) to troopers. Some cost savings would be realized through the elimination of separate hiring procedures, training, and equipment and would give the department a higher complement of troopers and greater flexibility to fill vacant CVEO positions. Troopers in areas with permanent scales would be scheduled to work commercial vehicle enforcement on a rotating basis. As the CVEOs are already certified law enforcement officers, they could attend a modified training session established by the Training Division to meet all Department of Criminal Justice Services requirements.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Enforcement of large commercial vehicle size and weight regulations
    • Inspection of large commercial vehicles
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    Funding for the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers (CVEO) program of the Department of State Police is provided by the Department of Transportation, Highway Maintenance Funds.

    The CVEO program is responsible for enforcing the laws associated with trucks operating on the highways of the Commonwealth.

    Funds appropriated to this service area support the staff and related expenses associated with providing the service.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $0 $4,831,625    $0 $4,831,625
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $0  $4,831,625     $0  $4,831,625 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Decrease crashes involving motor carriers by removing unsafe heavy commercial vehicles from the highway.
    Objective Description
    Unsafe heavy commercial vehicles pose a significant threat to motorists in Virginia. The commercial vehicle enforcement officers are responsible for the enforcement of large commercial vehicle regulations. This includes inspection of these vehicles and removal of unsafe vehicles and/or drivers from the highway.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to convert commercial vehicle enforcement officers to troopers.
    • Monitor commercial vehicle enforcement operations to ensure operational effectiveness.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of unsafe heavy commercial vehicles placed out of service
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      9117
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Have at least 9,117 unsafe heavy commercial vehicles placed out of service in FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The number of heavy commercial vehicles placed out of service is captured in the Safetynet database maintained by the Safety Division.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 9 of 17
Counter-Terrorism (156 310 03)
Description

The events of September 11, 2001, dramatically changed the role of law enforcement agencies. In addition to providing traditional law enforcement services, law enforcement agencies now have to prepare for potential terrorist incidents. The ability to predict future terrorist trends and operations and identify individuals who are associated with these groups is essential to the welfare of the Commonwealth. The collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence are critical to preventing terrorist events. In response to the growing demand for intelligence, the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC) was created. Operation of the VFC has greatly enhanced the department’s abilities to collect, analyze, and disseminate terrorism-related intelligence in a more efficient and effective manner. Response to terrorist incidents is currently the responsibility of the Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Interdiction Unit (CCIU). In addition to its criminal interdiction activities, this unit is trained and equipped to respond to environmental crime scenes. The seven areas within the CCIU serve as core members of the Statewide Regional Response Teams. These teams are composed of CCIU personnel, tactical team members, evidence technicians, and arson/bomb technicians. In the event of a terrorist incident involving an environmental crime scene, the Statewide Regional Response Team would respond.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    The Counter-Terrorism Service Area supports the accomplishment of four goals in the department’s Strategic Plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property; (2) providing available department resources to any requesting law enforcement agency; (3) ensuring the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel; and (4) strengthening the culture of preparedness across state agencies, their employees and customers. This service area is also closely aligned with the long-term objective for Virginia of protecting public safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice, and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    Planning and carrying out terrorist activities constitute criminal acts. Section 52-8 of the Code of Virginia establishes the department’s powers and duties to enforce criminal laws.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 0 0
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The department does not anticipate any changes to the customer base of this service area.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    Response to terrorist incidents is currently the responsibility of the Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Interdiction Unit (CCIU). This unit is trained and equipped to respond to environmental crime scenes. CCIU personnel serve as core members of the Statewide Regional Response Teams. These teams are composed of CCIU personnel and personnel from other organizational components, including tactical team members, evidence technicians, and arson/bomb technicians. In the event of a terrorist incident involving an environmental crime scene, the Statewide Regional Response Team would respond.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    In order to enhance the department’s response to acts of terrorism, tactical team members, SCUBA divers, and canine handlers should be combined with CCIU personnel to create a new Homeland Security Division. The combination of these personnel would facilitate terrorism training and coordination of operations by response personnel.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Response to terrorist incidents
    • Criminal interdiction
    • Support of City-State Partnerships
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Interdiction Unit of the Department of State Police is funded through the general fund. This service area, in conjunction with federal, state and local agencies, is responsible for responding to terrorist activity within the Commonwealth.

    Funds appropriated to this service area support the staff and related expenses associated with providing the service.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $4,870,195 $0    $4,870,195 $0
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $4,870,195  $0     $4,870,195  $0 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Enhance the ability to proactively address terrorist threats by effectively collecting, analyzing and disseminating terrorism information.
    Objective Description
    The ability to predict future terrorist trends and operations and identify individuals who are associated with these groups is essential to the welfare of the Commonwealth. The collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence are critical to preventing terrorist events. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, law enforcement agencies were forced to meet the informational demands created by the increased focus on terrorism. The flow of intelligence received by the Criminal Intelligence Division (CID) concerning terrorist threats and targets increased considerably. In response to the growing demand for intelligence, the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC) was created. Operation of the VFC greatly enhances the department’s abilities to collect, analyze, and disseminate terrorism-related intelligence information in a more efficient and effective manner.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    • Agency Goal: Provide available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies.
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel.
    • Agency Goal: We will strengthen the culture of preparedness across state agencies, their employees and customers.
    Objective Strategies
    • Fully staff the Virginia Fusion Center.
    • Ensure all personnel assigned to conduct intelligence analysis are well-trained in their job duties.
    • Develop the Virginia Intelligence Management System.
    • Seek funding for additional sworn personnel to support the Joint Terrorism Task Forces.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of intelligence products disseminated
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      51
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Disseminate at least 51 new or amended intelligence products to local, state and federal agencies in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The Criminal Intelligence Division tracks the number of intelligence products disseminated to department personnel and other law enforcement agencies.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 10 of 17
Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) (156 310 04)
Description

The Help Eliminate Auto Theft Program (H.E.A.T.) is Virginia’s comprehensive attack on motor vehicle theft through enforcement, recoveries, intelligence gathering, and preventive initiatives. Since the inception of this program in 1991, auto theft in Virginia has decreased dramatically.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    The H.E.A.T. Service Area is clearly aligned to the department’s goal of ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    In accordance with § 38.2-414, the H.E.A.T. fund is controlled and administered by the Superintendent of the Department of State Police to pay the costs of establishing and operating a program to receive and reward information leading to the arrest of persons who commit motor vehicle theft-related crimes in Virginia.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465
Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies 285 285

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The number of registered vehicles in the state continues to increase. Between 1997 and 2007, this number increased 31 percent. As the number of vehicles in Virginia grows, the opportunity for auto theft increases.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    The H.E.A.T. Program is dependent on funding from the insurance industry. If funding is reduced or eliminated, the H.E.A.T. Program will be adversely impacted.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    None
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Crime prevention programs
    • H.E.A.T. Hotline and award program
    • Public service announcements and training materials
    • Training for local law enforcement personnel
    • Recognition program for law enforcement officers
    • Bait car loan program
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) Program of the Department of State Police is funded with non-general funds derived from insurance fees collected by the State Corporation Commission.

    The program is responsible for promoting auto theft awareness and eliminating the theft of autos.

    Funding in this service area is used to support the staff and expenses associated with providing the service.

    The changes to base were a result of central appropriation adjustments for salary and benefits. In addition, the department requested a technical amendment for additional appropriations.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $0 $2,423,085    $0 $2,423,085
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $0  $2,423,085     $0  $2,423,085 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Reduce the number of motor vehicle thefts in Virginia.
    Objective Description
    The reduction of motor vehicle theft in Virginia is essential to ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property. The average value of motor vehicle thefts in Virginia each year is $111,400,556 (based on a five-year average). Motor vehicle theft also endangers public safety. For example, motor vehicle theft suspects frequently flee from law enforcement personnel at high speeds. In addition, victims of carjackings may be seriously injured or killed.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    • Agency Goal: Provide available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies.
    Objective Strategies
    • Monitor the H.E.A.T. Program to ensure operational effectiveness.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of motor vehicle thefts in Virginia
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Annual
      Preferred Trend:
      Down

      Frequency Comment: Calendar Year

      Measure Target Value:
      14250
      Date:
      12/31/2009

      Measure Target Description: Reduce motor vehicle thefts in Virginia to 14,500 in CY2008 and 14,250 in CY2009.

      Data Source and Calculation: Statistics on the number of motor vehicle thefts in Virginia is collected by the Uniform Crime Reporting Section of the Department of State Police. Motor vehicle theft is the unlawful taking or stealing of a motor vehicle, including attempts.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 11 of 17
Drug Enforcement (156 310 05)
Description

While some of the department’s narcotics enforcement is handled within the Uniform Patrol Service Area, enforcement of the Commonwealth’s narcotics laws requires a level of expertise and commitment of time not always available within the Uniform Patrol Service Area. The Drug Enforcement Service Area includes general drug investigations, multi-jurisdictional operations, interdiction, drug detection, asset forfeiture, surveillance, marijuana eradication, and maintenance of the Drug Trust Account.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation remains committed to its support of law enforcement agencies’ efforts to enforce drug laws through coordination and participation in state, local and federal task forces. Many of the cases are historical conspiracies that require long-term investigations. The Bureau’s flexibility permits it to work in rural areas, as well as urban localities.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    Since illegal drug use is commonly accompanied by violent crime, the Drug Enforcement Service Area is clearly aligned with the department's goal of ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property. This service area is also aligned with striving to eliminate illegal drug use within Virginia and providing available department resources to any requesting law enforcement agency, as appropriate.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The Bureau of Criminal Investigation and a division for drug law enforcement and investigation are mandated by §§ 52-1 and 52-8.1:1 of the Code of Virginia.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 0 0
Multi-jurisdictional investigative task forces Multi-jurisdictional investigative task forces 24 24
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465
Virginia Courts Virginia Courts 326 326

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
It is anticipated that the department will continue to increase its involvement in multi-jurisdictional investigative task forces.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    This service area is adversely impacted by manpower shortages. The BCI Special Agent Staffing Model was developed to determine staffing needs and is based on documented workload in each field office. This staffing model indicates the Bureau of Criminal Investigation needs 12 additional special agents and 7 additional first sergeants in order to accommodate current drug enforcement workload.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    There has been a dramatic increase in methamphetamine and clandestine laboratory seizures throughout Virginia. The state’s resources are taxed with the investigation of drug offenses, including heroin, powder and crack cocaine, OxyContin, Ecstasy, and marijuana. Additional personnel are necessary to identify, apprehend and prosecute those participating in the methamphetamine trade.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Drug investigation
    • Multi-jurisdictional task force support
    • Money laundering investigation
    • Marijuana eradication
    • Pharmaceutical diversion investigation
    • Methamphetamine laboratory response and investigation
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Drug Enforcement Service Area is a major activity of the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI). The primary source of funding is the general fund.

    Sworn personnel assigned to drug enforcement work closely with law enforcement agencies through task forces consisting of multiple local departments, State Police and federal agencies.

    Additionally, the Marijuana Eradication Program is conducted each year when emphasis is placed on locating and destroying marijuana under cultivation. The Marijuana Eradication Program is federally funded.

    Like similar sworn services, the major costs are salary and related benefits, as well as expenses associated with vehicles and specialized equipment.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $15,544,734 $12,575,000    $15,544,734 $3,075,000
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $15,544,734  $12,575,000     $15,544,734  $3,075,000 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Continue to enforce drug laws in Virginia.
    Objective Description
    The Drug Enforcement Section (DES) was established to provide full-time attention to the enforcement of drug laws in Virginia, and is committed to supporting local law enforcement agencies in their efforts. DES has in excess of 100 special agents across the Commonwealth responsible for performing operational narcotics enforcement investigations, including special undercover, wire intercept and marijuana eradication efforts. DES also routinely assists with federal and local law enforcement narcotics investigations.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    • Agency Goal: Strive to eliminate illegal drug use within Virginia.
    • Agency Goal: Provide available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to increase staffing up to levels recommended by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Staffing Model.
    • Develop the Law Enforcement Activity Management System.
    • Seek funding to augment support personnel in BCI.
    • Replace the Activity Management System.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of drug arrests made by Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) personnel, including task forces and specialty units.
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      5972
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Have BCI personnel, including task forces and specialty units, make at least 5,972 drug arrests in FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: Information pertaining to the number of drug arrests made is maintained in the department's Field Activity Computerized Tracking System (FACTS). The arrests codes counted include 2800 (Drugs: Manufacture, Sale, Distribution), 2801 (Drugs: Possession) and 2802 (Drugs: Other).



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 12 of 17
Crime Investigation and Intelligence Services (156 310 06)
Description

Enforcement of the Commonwealth’s criminal laws (e.g., homicide, felonious assault, and arson/explosives) requires a level of expertise and commitment of time not available within the Uniform Patrol Service Area. The Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Service Area is responsible for responding to requests for investigative support from the governor, attorney general, Commonwealth's attorneys, grand juries, department employees, and chiefs of police and sheriffs throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Functions performed by this service area include general investigations and specialized investigations involving arson/bomb, white collar crime, public officials, high technology crimes, computer evidence recovery, crime scene examination, fugitives, auto theft investigation, surveillance, polygraph examination, and financial crimes. The Criminal Intelligence Division supports federal, state, and local law enforcement investigations by processing intelligence, and providing technical equipment, wire intercepts, cameras, and surveillance vans for state and local law enforcement investigations. The Crime Investigation and Intelligence service area is also responsible for operating the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC). The VFC greatly enhances the department’s abilities to collect, analyze, and disseminate terrorism-related intelligence information in a more efficient and effective manner. The primary benefits include increased information sharing at all levels of federal, state and local governments, as well as with key private businesses and the public. The VFC allows direct communication with local agencies in their response and recovery efforts, and will allow for the direct support of the Virginia Emergency Operations Center.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area supports the accomplishment of the following department goals: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property; (2) providing available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies; and (3) strengthening the culture of preparedness across state agencies, their employees and customers.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is established by § 52-1 of the Code of Virginia.

    The Virginia Fusion Center is established by § 52-47 and is responsible for collecting, analyzing, disseminating, and maintaining intelligence information to support local, state, and federal law-enforcement agencies, and other governmental agencies and private organizations in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from any possible or actual terrorist attack.

    The Code of Virginia, § 19.2-66, authorizes the State Police to intercept wire, electronic or oral communications when such interception may reasonably be expected to provide evidence of the commission of a felonious offense of extortion, bribery, kidnapping, murder, or other specified offenses.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Commonwealth's Attorneys and staff Commonwealth's Attorneys and staff 500 500
Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 0 0
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465
Virginia Courts Virginia Courts 326 326

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The department does not anticipate any changes to the customer base.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    This service area is adversely impacted by manpower shortages. The BCI Special Agent Staffing Model was developed to determine staffing needs and is based on documented workload in each field office. This staffing model indicates the Bureau of Criminal Investigation needs 30 additional special agents and six additional first sergeants in order to accommodate workload in the General Investigations Section.

    The Computer Evidence Recovery Unit (CERU) provides assistance to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies with on-scene execution of search warrants for computer-related evidence, evidence recovery through forensic examination, and quarterly training classes in computer search and seizure. In 2007, the CERU assisted with 101 investigations involving 18,285 gigabytes of data on 278 computers and 773 other pieces of digital evidence. The CERU needs additional staffing to support current workload demands.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    Over the past decade, the use of computers and the Internet has grown at an unprecedented rate. Unfortunately, this growth has been accompanied by the emergence of computer crime. It is anticipated that the department will face an increasing incidence of computer crime, including threats, child pornography, fraud, gambling, extortion, and identity theft. The department must also contend with an entirely new set of criminal activity that targets computer networks themselves. Included in this category are such crimes as hacking, releasing viruses, and shutting down computers by flooding them with unwanted information. The investigation of computer crime is complex and requires extensive training. The department will need to devote personnel and training resources to ensure it can meet the increasing demand for this service.

    The growth of gang violence and the proliferation of gangs into smaller cities and rural areas in recent years have focused public attention on the gang problem, making it an increasingly significant social policy issue. Some jurisdictions have disorganized groups of homegrown neighborhood gangs that participate in a variety of criminal activities. In other jurisdictions, there has been an increase in the number of nationally recognized street gangs. These gangs are involved in criminal activities including firearms trafficking, auto theft, drug distribution, murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, assault, extortion, carjacking, and drive-by shootings. A recurring theme in gang activity is the propensity toward violence. The proliferation of gangs in Virginia poses a real threat to public safety. The Department of State Police needs to devote additional manpower to effectively address this threat.

    Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation. It is a crime that harms both consumers and businesses. A 2003 Federal Trade Commission survey estimated that nearly 10 million consumers discovered that they were victims of identity theft in the preceding 12 months, costing American businesses an estimated $48 billion in losses, and costing consumers an additional $5 billion in out-of-pocket losses. The survey looked at the two major categories of identity theft: (1) the misuse of existing accounts; and (2) the creation of new accounts in the victim’s name. The survey also found that victims of the two major categories of identity theft spent almost 300 million hours – or an average of 30 hours per person – correcting their records and reclaiming their good names. Identity theft causes significant economic and emotional injury; the department needs additional manpower to aggressively combat this crime.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • General criminal investigation
    • Intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination
    • Arson investigation
    • Bomb response, investigation, and disposal
    • High technology crime investigation
    • Polygraph examination
    • Crime scene examination
    • Computer evidence recovery
    • Wire intercept
    • Financial crime investigation
    • Elected official investigation
    • White collar crime investigation
    • Fugitive investigation
    • Surveillance
    • Terrorism Hotline
    • Van Loan Program
    • Police shooting investigation
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Department of State Police Crime Investigation and Intelligence Service includes various law enforcement activities conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

    Funding for this service area is through the general fund with supplemental funding provided by federal grants and seized assets.

    The primary expense in this service area is salaries and related benefits for sworn employees assigned to BCI. Additionally, this service area requires funds to support the investigation function including expenses related to vehicles, equipment and funds to assist local law enforcement.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $23,245,202 $245,000    $23,245,202 $245,000
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $23,245,202  $245,000     $23,245,202  $245,000 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • To investigate and solve crimes in Virginia.
    Objective Description
    The department is committed to providing the highest level of investigative service to the citizens of Virginia and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. This service includes general investigations and specialized investigations involving arson, bomb threats, white collar crime, high technology crimes, computer evidence recovery, crime scene examination, fugitive apprehension, auto theft, surveillance, polygraph examination, and financial crimes. The provision of high-quality investigative services should result in the expeditious apprehension and successful prosecution of criminal suspects.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    • Agency Goal: Provide available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies.
    • Agency Goal: We will strengthen the culture of preparedness across state agencies, their employees and customers.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to increase staffing up to levels recommended by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Staffing Model.
    • Seek funding to augment support personnel in BCI.
    • Monitor crime investigation and intelligence operations to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Develop the Law Enforcement Activity Management System.
    • Develop the Digital Crime Scene Image System for the automated submission, processing and electronic storage of digital photos taken by investigators.
    • Replace the Activity Management System.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of arrests made by BCI personnel, including task forces and specialty units.
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      9948
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Have BCI personnel, including task forces and specialty units, make at least 9,948 arrests in FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: Information pertaining to the number of arrests made is maintained in the department's Field Activity Computerized Tracking System (FACTS).



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 13 of 17
Uniform Patrol Services (Highway Patrol) (156 310 07)
Description

The department is responsible for patrolling over 64,000 miles of roadways and interstate highways throughout Virginia. Uniformed personnel enforce both traffic and criminal laws and conduct motor vehicle and aircraft crash investigations. Selected personnel in this service area are also tasked with monitoring sex offenders and investigating those who fail to register. Uniformed personnel also enhance public safety through presentations on traffic safety and crime prevention. In order to protect citizens and their property in the event of civil disturbances, natural disasters, and terrorist incidents, uniformed personnel are trained and equipped to restore order.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area supports the accomplishment of two goals in the department’s Strategic Plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property and (2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways. The Uniformed Patrol Service Area is closely aligned with two long-term objectives for Virginia: (1) protecting the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds and (2) ensuring that Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, enables easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy, and improves the quality of life.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The promotion of highway safety is identified in § 52-4 of the Code of Virginia as one of the main functions of the Department of State Police. Section 52-8 delegates the power and duty to enforce criminal laws and investigate aircraft accidents to the Department of State Police.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Sex Offenders Sex Offenders 13,805 13,805
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465
Virginia Courts Virginia Courts 326 326
Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies 285 285

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
Between 1990 and 2000, the population of Virginia grew 14.4 percent from 6,187,358 to 7,078,515. With this growth, the numbers of licensed drivers, registered vehicles, and vehicle miles traveled also increased. Other demographic changes will also impact the department and its operations. Certain minority populations in Virginia are increasing. In 1990, the Hispanic population accounted for 2.6 percent of the total population while the Asian population made up 2.5 percent. Ten years later, these figures increased to 4.7 percent and 3.7 percent respectively. Many of these persons do not speak English. The department will need to prepare itself to provide law enforcement services to these growing populations.

The aging of the Baby Boom generation will create new challenges for the department. As the elderly population increases, elder abuse and other crimes against the elderly will almost certainly increase. Older drivers may also present problems for the law enforcement community.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    In recent years, the Department of State Police has seen its workload increasing dramatically, while its manpower resources have remained relatively stagnant. In order to effectively accomplish its mission, the department must be adequately staffed. Significant increases in manpower are clearly justified by department staffing studies and workload increases. Population, registered vehicles, and vehicle miles traveled have all risen sharply. These, in turn, have created an increased demand for law enforcement services. There are also critical issues in public safety that the department must have adequate staffing to address. These issues include highway safety, terrorism, Internet crimes against children, illegal firearms purchases, sex offenders and identity theft.

    The Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model indicates the Bureau of Field Operations needs 316 additional troopers and 30 additional sergeants in order to accommodate current workload. Overall, the department's authorized strength for uniform patrol is 346 positions less than staffing levels recommended by the approved staffing study. This situation is exacerbated by factors that have prevented the department from filling all authorized sworn positions. In order to accommodate budget shortfalls caused by the rising cost of gasoline, vehicles, and insurance, the department has been forced to leave a number of authorized sworn positions vacant. These vacancies have an adverse impact on both public safety and officer safety.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    The increased manpower needs identified by the department’s staffing methodologies are clearly supported by demographic and workload changes in Virginia. From 1980 to 2000, the population in Virginia increased 32.4 percent. This population increase sparked a dramatic growth in traffic in Virginia. The number of registered vehicles in the state continues to increase. Between 1997 and 2007, this number increased 31 percent. As the number of registered vehicles has increased, the number of vehicle miles traveled has also risen. Between 1997 and 2007, this number increased 10.7 percent. As traffic has increased, so has the demand for law enforcement services. The number of traffic crashes went up 11.9 percent between 1997 and 2007. For a number of years, traffic fatalities in Virginia have increased. There were 1,026 fatalities in 2007, which constitutes a 6.8 percent increase in fatalities compared to 2006.

    At current staffing levels, the department is unable to conduct an adequate level of preventive patrol and enforcement. This lack of patrol visibility, particularly on the interstates, is an ongoing source of citizen complaints. Inadequate staffing has also limited the number of traffic safety and crime prevention programs conducted. If population and workload growth continue at current levels, the level of service provided to the citizens of Virginia by the State Police will continue to degrade.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Preventive patrol
    • Response to calls for service
    • Enforcement of criminal and traffic laws
    • Sex offender monitoring
    • Motor vehicle crash investigation and accident reconstruction
    • Aircraft crash investigation
    • Traffic control
    • Highway safety education/crime prevention
    • Civil disturbance/disaster response
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Uniform Patrol Services (Highway Patrol) area of the Department of State Police is the most significant budgetary service within the department. Because of the service provided in traffic enforcement and other investigation services, this service area includes the majority of positions and funding authorized for the department.

    Funding for this service area is through the general fund with supplemental funding provided by special funds and federal grants.

    Appropriated funds for this service area support the staff (salaries and related benefits), police vehicle expenses and related expenses associated with providing the police services.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $123,783,065 $17,060,439    $120,561,885 $17,060,439
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $123,783,065  $17,060,439     $120,561,885  $17,060,439 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • We will enhance public safety by investigating and successfully closing cases concerning sex offenders who fail to register in accordance with the Code of Virginia.
    Objective Description
    Protecting the citizens of Virginia from known sex offenders is a critical public safety function. After sex offenders are released from prison, they must register with the state and notify officials regarding their new address within ten days of any move. However, there is growing concern regarding the accuracy of information in the Sex Offender Registry. The accuracy of the registry relies on sex offenders complying with Title 9.1. It is clear that some of these offenders do not want to comply with the provisions of this Title. This lack of compliance creates a registry which is replete with inaccurate information on the correct location or status of sex offenders in the Commonwealth. In order to ensure that these sex offenders comply with the provisions of Title 9.1, the department is taking a proactive approach to physically verify the accuracy of information being furnished by these individuals. Additional resources have recently been committed to monitoring and prosecuting sex offenders who fail to comply with state laws. Increasing the number of trooper positions dedicated solely to this purpose will provide quick and in-depth investigations of sex offenders.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to add troopers to the Sex Offender Investigative Unit.
    • Enhance the Sex Offender Website.
    • Develope the Law Enforcement Activity Management System.
    Objective Measures
    • Percentage of the investigations successfully closed involving sex offenders failing to register
      Measure Class:
      Governor's Key
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Up

      Key Summary: We will increase the percentage of the investigations successfully closed involving sex offenders failing to register to 80 percent in each quarter of FY2008, FY2009, and FY2010.

      Frequency Comment: Calendar Year

      Measure Target Value:
      83.6
      Date:
      6/30/2008

      Measure Target Description: Increase the percentage of cases successfully closed involving sex offenders who fail to register to 83.6 percent in each quarter of FY2008, and 80 percent in FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: Information pertaining to the number of closed cases involving sex offenders failing to register is maintained in the department’s Field Activity Computerized Tracking System (FACTS). The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of closed, unfounded and inactive-warrant on file cases each quarter by the total number of cases opened that quarter.

  • We will improve the response to citizens requesting police services to ensure the safety of victims and to increase the likelihood of apprehending offenders.
    Objective Description
    Responding to citizens in need of police services is a vital function of the Department of State Police. Crime victims and citizens who have been involved in motor vehicle crashes deserve the highest level of service from the department. This service encompasses assistance received from the dispatcher or call-taker, timeliness of response, assistance provided on-scene, follow-up investigation, professional competence, fairness, and overall quality of service.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to increase staffing up to levels recommended by the Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model.
    • Seek funding to convert CVEO positions to troopers.
    • Reassign all canine handlers, tactical team members, and SCUBA divers to the Homeland Security Division and seek funding to add troopers to backfill positions vacated by canine handlers, tactical team members, and SCUBA divers.
    • Seek funding to augment support personnel in BFO.
    • Monitor uniform patrol operations to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Seek funding to compensate exempt, sworn employees for overtime with pay in lieu of leave.
    • Develop the Law Enforcement Activity Management System.
    • Replace the Activity Management System.
    Objective Measures
    • Percentage of crime victims and individuals involved in traffic accidents who rate their experience with the department as 'Very Good' or 'Excellent'
      Measure Class:
      Governor's Key
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Annual
      Preferred Trend:
      Up

      Key Summary: We will increase the percentage of crime victims and individuals involved in traffic accidents who rate their experience with the department as 'Very Good' or 'Excellent' to least 82 percent of survey respondents in CY2007, 84 percent in CY2008 and 86 percent in CY2009.

      Frequency Comment: Survey respondents are selected from individuals who received service from the Department in the first quarter of the calendar year. Surveys are disseminated in October. Survey responses are analyzed in December and results are available in January.

      Measure Target Value:
      84
      Date:
      12/31/2008

      Measure Target Description: Receive an overall quality rating of “Excellent” or “Very Good” from at least 82 percent of survey respondents in CY2007, 84 percent in CY2008 and 86 percent in CY2009.

      Data Source and Calculation: The Office of Performance Management and Internal Controls conducts an annual citizen survey to determine the level of customer satisfaction with department operations. Survey questions are designed to solicit information regarding assistance received from the dispatcher or call-taker, timeliness of response, assistance provided on-scene, follow-up investigation, professional competence, fairness, and overall quality of service. Survey respondents are randomly selected from citizens involved in accidents reported to the State Police during the first quarter of the year (excluding fatalities). In addition, all victims of selected, non-violent crimes reported to the State Police during the first quarter of the year are surveyed. In order to fairly represent results, survey questions marked “Not Applicable” or left blank are not included in the calculations.

  • We will decrease the response time to citizen calls for service.
    Objective Description
    Prompt response to citizens' request for emergency law enforcement services is essential to ensuring the safety of citizens and their property. In traffic crashes, quick response by law enforcement facilitates the removal of disabled vehicles and debris from the roadway. Clearing the roadway quickly helps restore the normal flow of traffic and reduces secondary crashes caused by traffic congestion associated with the crash. In criminal incidents, the prompt response by law enforcement personnel enhances citizen safety and increases the likelihood of a successful investigation.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to increase staffing up to levels recommended by the Trooper Allocation and Distribution Model.
    • Reassign all canine handlers, tactical team members, and SCUBA divers to the Homeland Security Division and seek funding to add 128 troopers to backfill positions vacated by canine handlers, tactical team members, and SCUBA divers.
    • Seek funding to compensate exempt, sworn employees for overtime with pay in lieu of leave.
    • Seek funding to convert CVEO positions to troopers.
    • Seek funding to augment support personnel in BFO.
    • Monitor uniform patrol operations to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Replace the Activity Management System.
    Objective Measures
    • Average response time to emergency calls
      Measure Class:
      Governor's Key
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Down

      Key Summary: We will decrease the average response time to emergency calls to 18.5 minutes in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      18.5
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Decrease the average response time to 18.5 minutes in FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The response time is calculated from the time an incident is entered into the Computer-Aided Dispatch system until the time a unit arrives at the scene. Only incidents that meet the following criteria are included: 1) The incident is entered by the communications center; 2) The primary unit is marked on scene with the dispatcher; 3) The call type is an emergency priority; 4) The call is handled by a unit assigned to one of the BFO areas. Calls handled by Medflight are not included. Times are displayed in minutes and tenths of a minute format.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 14 of 17
Motorists Assistance Program (156 310 08)
Description

The Motorist Assistance Program currently operates in the four largest metropolitan areas in Virginia including Chesapeake, Fairfax, Richmond and in the Roanoke/Salem areas. During 2006, motorist assistance aides provided assistance to disabled or stranded motorists on more than 50,800 occasions. State Police motorist assistance aides provided services such as fixing flat tires, providing gasoline, jumpstarting vehicles, directing traffic, and making cellular phone calls for additional assistance or to notify family members of a stranded motorist's situation. Motorist assistance aides are frequently instrumental in the arrest of drunk drivers and aggressive drivers by reporting erratic driving behavior to troopers who subsequently make the apprehension.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area supports the accomplishment of two goals in the department’s Strategic Plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property and (2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways. The Motorists Assistance Program Service Area is closely aligned with two long-term objectives for Virginia: (1) protecting the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds and (2) ensuring that Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, enables easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy, and improves the quality of life.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    In accordance with § 52.4 of the Code of Virginia, the Department of State Police is responsible for highway patrol and the promotion of highway safety.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Out of State Citizens Out of State Citizens 0 0
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The number of registered vehicles in the state continues to rise. Between 1997 and 2007, this number grew 31 percent. As the number of registered vehicles has increased, the number of vehicle miles traveled has also risen. Between 1997 and 2007, this number increased 10.7 percent. As traffic has increased, so has the demand for law enforcement services. The number of traffic crashes went up 11.9 percent between 1997 and 2007. As traffic increases in Virginia, the need for motorist assistance services will increase.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    Population, registered vehicles, and vehicle miles traveled have all risen sharply. These, in turn, have created an increased demand for motorist assistance services. Additional motorist assistance aides are needed in Area 37 to accommodate current workload demands.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    None
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Observation of criminal activity or traffic violations
    • Removal of disabled vehicles from the roadway
    • Assistance to motorists with mechanical problems
    • Assistance to motorists at crash sites
    • Assistance to motorists needing directions and other services
    • Provision of first aid/CPR at crash sites or other medical emergencies on the roadways until the arrival of medical personnel
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    Funding for the Motorist Assistance Program of the Department of State Police is provided by the Department of Transportation, Highway Maintenance Funds. This service is provided in the Richmond, Tidewater, Northern Virginia and Roanoke areas of Virginia. Motorist assistance aides provide assistance to stranded motorists, allowing troopers to continue patrol duties.

    Motorist assistance service is provided utilizing a number of wage positions, supplemented by full-time positions.

    Appropriated funds for this service area support the staff (salaries and related benefits), vehicle expenses and related expenses associated with providing the service.

    The changes to base were a result of central appropriation adjustments for salary and benefits.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $0 $1,631,282    $0 $1,631,282
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $0  $1,631,282     $0  $1,631,282 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Improve highway safety by providing assistance to motorists.
    Objective Description
    Civilian motorist assistance aides assist in the removal of disabled and abandoned motor vehicles from the roadways, thereby reducing the potential of traffic crashes, while freeing sworn employees to perform duties that require law enforcement authority.
    Objective Strategies
    • Monitor motorist assistance operations to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Seek funding for additional motorist assistance aides in Area 37.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of assists provided by motorist assistance aides
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      13250
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Have motorist assistance aides provide at least 13,250 assists to motorists in each quarter of FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: Data regarding motorist assistance is maintained in the Motorist Assistance System. This system is designed to collect information on assistance rendered by the motorist assistance aides.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 15 of 17
Insurance Fraud Program (156 310 09)
Description

It has been estimated that insurance fraud costs each insured Virginia citizen approximately $100 in additional insurance premiums annually and adds as much as $1,000 to the cost of goods and services. This service area is dedicated to reducing the impact of fraudulent insurance claims on the law-abiding citizens of Virginia. The Insurance Fraud Program currently has special agents located strategically throughout the state. Their primary focus is on fraudulent property and casualty insurance and workers’ compensation claims. The law now requires that if insurance professionals have reason to believe that someone is violating this statute, they are required to disclose this information to the Virginia State Police.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    The Insurance Fraud Service Area is aligned to the department’s goal of ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The insurance fraud investigation function is established by § 52-37 of the Code of Virginia. The department is mandated to (1) initiate independent inquiries and conduct independent investigations when the department has reason to believe that insurance fraud may have been or is currently being committed, and to undertake studies to determine the extent of such insurance fraud; (2) respond to notification or complaints alleging insurance fraud generated by federal, state and local police, other law-enforcement authorities, governmental agencies or units, and any other person; and (3) review notices and reports of insurance fraud, select the incidents of suspected fraud that require further detailed investigation, and conduct the investigations.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Commonwealth's Attorneys and staff Commonwealth's Attorneys and staff 500 500
Property and casualty insurance companies licensed to operate in Virginia Property and casualty insurance companies licensed to operate in Virginia 851 851
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465
Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies Virginia Law Enforcement Agencies 285 285

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
None
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    This service area is impacted by manpower shortages. The BCI Special Agent Staffing Model was developed to determine staffing needs and is based on documented workload in each field office. This staffing model indicates the General Investigations Section needs 30 additional special agents in order to accommodate current workload.

    Insurance fraud investigation is a complex process that requires extensive training. The transfer or promotion of special agents trained to investigate insurance fraud adversely impacts this service area.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    The Insurance Fraud Program service area is dependent on funding from the insurance industry. If funding is reduced or eliminated, the department's ability to combat insurance fraud would be severely diminished.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Insurance fraud investigation
    • Insurance fraud trend analysis
    • Training of criminal justice personnel
    • Public service announcements and training materials
    • Insurance Fraud Hotline and award program
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    The Insurance Fraud Program of the Department of State Police is funded with non-general funds derived from insurance fees collected by the State Corporation Commission.

    The program is responsible for investigation of fraudulent insurance claims.

    Funding in this service area is used to support the staff and related expenses associated with providing the service.

    The changes to base were a result of central appropriation adjustments for salary and benefits. In addition, the department requested a technical amendment for additional appropriations.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $0 $8,126,987    $0 $8,126,987
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $0  $8,126,987     $0  $8,126,987 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Decrease insurance fraud in Virginia.
    Objective Description
    It has been estimated that insurance fraud costs each insured Virginia citizen approximately $100 in additional insurance premiums annually and adds as much as $1,000 to the cost of good and services. The department is dedicated to reducing the impact of fraudulent insurance claims on the law-abiding citizens of Virginia.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Ensure the safety and security of citizens and their property.
    • Agency Goal: Provide available department resources to requesting law enforcement agencies.
    Objective Strategies
    • Seek funding to increase staffing up to levels recommended by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Staffing Model.
    • Monitor the Insurance Fraud Program to ensure operational effectiveness.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of arrests for insurance fraud and related offenses
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Annual
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      296
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Make at least 296 arrests for insurance fraud and related offenses in FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The number of arrests for insurance fraud and related offenses is collected in the Insurance Fraud Program database.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 16 of 17
Vehicle Safety Inspections (156 310 10)
Description

With the implementation of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Program in 1932, Virginia embarked upon and has continued in a leadership role in the promotion of highway safety. Reduction in the number of vehicles with safety defects on Virginia’s highways is the implicit goal of the Vehicle Safety Inspections service area. This service area is performed by the Safety Division and includes program administration, enforcement of motor carrier safety and hazardous materials regulations, compliance reviews, supervision of the inspection program, safety equipment approval, and administration of the Inter-Departmental and Intra-Departmental Safety Programs. The Safety Division is also responsible for the supervision and testing of approved mechanics to ensure compliance with inspection rules and procedures.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    The Vehicle Safety Inspection service area is clearly aligned with two of the goals in the department’s strategic plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property and (2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways. This service area is closely aligned with two long-term objectives for Virginia: (1) protecting the public’s safety and security, ensuring a fair and effective system of justice and providing a prepared response to emergencies and disasters of all kinds and (2) ensuring that Virginia has a transportation system that is safe, enables easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy, and improves the quality of life.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    Functions performed by this service area are mandated by the Code of Virginia, § 52-4, which requires the department to supervise inspection stations and inspectors of motor vehicles, promote highway safety, establish and direct a vehicle accident prevention and safety program for state agencies, and adopt standards for motor vehicle appliances, accessories and safety devices.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 1 1
Inspection Stations Inspection Stations 4,280 4,280
Inspectors (active) Inspectors (active) 14,528 14,528
Motor Carriers Motor Carriers 0 500,000
State agencies State agencies 43 43
Virginia Citizens Virginia Citizens 7,567,465 7,567,465

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
None
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    Products and services of this service area are impacted by a number of factors, including staffing, vehicle changes made by automobile manufacturers, technological changes, changes in Code of Virginia, and changes in federal guidelines.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    In 2007, approximately 7,688,000 vehicle safety inspections were performed at Virginia inspection stations. A record of each inspection is recorded in the form of an Inspection Certification Receipt or a Rejection Receipt. These receipts are mailed to the department by inspection stations on a monthly basis. Information on the receipts is used in law enforcement investigations, as evidence in court, and to manage the Vehicle Safety Inspection Program. Currently, these receipts are handled manually. Due to the tremendous volume of receipts, the department needs to acquire a system to automate vehicle inspection receipts.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Administration of Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Program
    • Preparation and distribution of the Safety Inspection Manual
    • Administration of licensing program for stations and inspectors
    • Distribution and tracking of inspection stickers
    • Administration of the Inter-Departmental and Intra-Departmental Safety Program
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    Funding for the Vehicle Safety Inspection Program of the Department of State Police is provided by Department of Motor Vehicles through a $1.50 fee charged for each vehicle registered in the Commonwealth and supplemented by federal funds. This service area is responsible for monitoring licensed businesses and inspectors to ensure compliance of Virginia inspection laws and regulations and enforcing motor carrier laws.

    Funding in this service area is used to support the staff and related expenses associated with providing the service.

    The changes to base were a result of central appropriations adjustments for salary and benefits.
    (This is a nongeneral fund program; the general fund amount shown should be allocated to 31007 Uniform Patrol and will be corrected via Technical Adjustment.)
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $0 $20,483,331    $0 $20,483,331
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $0  $20,483,331     $0  $20,483,331 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Ensure the integrity of the Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Program by conducting periodic visits of inspection stations.
    Objective Description
    The Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Program cannot be effective without ensuring that individual stations and inspectors conduct thorough inspections in accordance with established inspection standards. Stations must be periodically visited to ensure inspection and recordkeeping requirements are met.
    Objective Strategies
    • Monitor vehicle safety inspections to ensure operational effectiveness.
    • Automate the Motor Vehicle Inspection Program (MVIP).
    • Seek funding to augment support personnel in the Safety Division.
    Objective Measures
    • Number of station visits conducted
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Output
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Maintain

      Frequency Comment: Fiscal Year

      Measure Target Value:
      36592
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Have Safety Division personnel conduct at least 36,592 inspection station visits in FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: Data concerning inspection station visits by Safety Division personnel is maintained in the Weekly Activity Report System.



Service Area Strategic Plan
11/20/2009   10:03 am
Department of State Police (156)
Biennium: 2008-10
Service Area 17 of 17
Administrative and Support Services (156 399 00)
Description

The superintendent is responsible for the efficient administration, control, and operation of the department. The Administrative and Support Service Area is responsible for the financial management of the department, including preparing, monitoring, and accounting for the department’s annual operating budget.

The department’s personnel are one of its most valuable resources. The Administrative and Support Service Area is tasked with providing effective human resource management, with continued emphasis on attracting and retaining qualified personnel and diversifying the work force. This service area administers employment practices, benefits, and classification and compensation.

The Administrative and Support Service Area is also responsible for property management. This encompasses management and maintenance of more than 69 buildings and grounds across the state, including leased property. Additionally, this service area includes the State Police Garage, which is tasked with equipping newly acquired vehicles with law enforcement equipment.

The department uses a variety of supplies and equipment to accomplish its mission. The Administrative and Support Service Area procures, distributes, and stores all State Police supplies and equipment. This service area also produces printed material and manages mail distribution. The department serves as Virginia's point of contact for the Department of Defense Military Surplus Program. This program allows state and local law enforcement agencies to receive, at no cost, surplus military equipment.

Training is an activity fundamental to this organization’s survival. The para-military structure of the department demands an especially intense level of training beginning with an officer’s entry into the organization. The Administrative and Support Service Area includes entry-level training, in-service training, specialty training, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) training, and training provided to other agencies. The Academy hosts contract training for employees of local, state and federal agencies and coordinates attendance of department employees at outside schools, seminars, and specialty training programs. The Training Division is also responsible for canine training in three categories: explosive, narcotics, and patrol. The DARE program is a cooperative effort between the Department of State Police and the Department of Education and is coordinated by the Training Division. In addition, the Training Division is responsible for providing training to 20 state agencies to ensure operator proficiency for the Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS).

The Administrative and Support Service Area is also responsible for the operation of cafeteria at the Academy.
Background Information
Mission Alignment and Authority
  • Describe how this service supports the agency mission
    This service area is essential to the accomplishment of the department's mission and all goals in the department’s strategic plan: (1) ensuring the safety and security of citizens and their property; (2) promoting the safe and orderly flow of traffic on Virginia’s highways; (3) striving to eliminate illegal drug use within Virginia; (4) providing available department resources to any requesting law enforcement agency; (5) ensuring the safety, security, and high morale of department personnel; and (6) continually seeking ways to deliver the most cost-effective and efficient law enforcement services possible.
  • Describe the Statutory Authority of this Service
    The Code of Virginia, § 52-4, tasks the Department of State Police with conducting the police school or Academy. Other functions associated with the Administrative and Support Service Area are governed by a number of state and federal regulations, to include the following:

    Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 USC Chapter 8
    Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), 29 CFR 1904 (1974)
    Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), 28 CFR Parts 35 and 130
    Equal Employment Opportunities Act (EEO), 29 CFR 1613
    Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 USC § 621
    § 58.1-4005. Appointment, qualifications and salary of Director.
    § 58.1-4008. Employees of the department; background investigations of employees.
    Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (1993)
    Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Law, Code of Virginia, Title 10.1, Chapter 5, Article 4)
    VR 680-13-02, Technical Standards for Underground Storage Tanks
    § 52-9.1. Distinctive uniform to be adopted for State police officers.
    § 52-11.3. Acquisition of military property.
    § 52-11.4. Disposal of unclaimed property in the possession of State Police; exemption from the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act.
    § 9.1-108. Criminal Justice Services Board membership; terms; vacancies; members not disqualified from holding other offices; designation of chairmen; meetings; compensation.
    § 9.1-112. Committee on Training; membership.
Customers
Agency Customer Group Customer Customers served annually Potential annual customers
Businesses Businesses 549,916 549,916
Department Employees Department Employees 2,829 2,829
Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies 0 0
State agencies State Agencies 43 43

Anticipated Changes To Agency Customer Base
The department anticipates adding approximately 592 sworn employees and 154 support personnel over a six-year period.
Products and Services
  • Factors Impacting the Products and/or Services:
    In order to accomplish its mission and accommodate increased workload, the department needs to increase manpower to levels recommended by approved staffing models. This will requiring adding approximately 100 troopers per year for six years. The addition of these troopers will have a significant impact on products and services in the Administrative and Support Service Area, including human resource management, training, communications, and equipment.
  • Anticipated Changes to the Products and/or Services
    The addition of 592 new sworn employees at a rate of 100 new positions per year will have a significant impact on workload in the Administrative and Support Service Area. Additional support personnel will be required in the Finance, Personnel, Property and Logistics, and Training Divisions to accommodate the increased workload. Without additional staffing, support services will degrade.
  • Listing of Products and/or Services
    • Preparing, monitoring and accounting for the annual operating budget
    • Administration of employment practices, benefits, and classification and compensation
    • Property management
    • Preparing and equipping newly acquired vehicles with law enforcement equipment
    • Provision of entry-level, in-service, and specialty training
    • Coordination of training provided through outside sources
    • Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) training
    • Procurement, distribution and storage of agency supplies and equipment
    • Production of printed materials
    • Distribution of mail
    • Administration of the Military Surplus Program
Finance
  • Financial Overview
    Funding for the Administrative and Support service area Department of State Police is provided primarily by the general fund. This service area represents the central management of the department and includes the Superintendent’s Office and the executive staff. Also included in this service area are the Public Relations Office, Professional Standards Unit, and Executive Protective Unit, Accounting and Budgeting Services, Human Resources Services, Physical Plant Services, Procurement and Distribution Services, Training Academy, and the Cafeteria. Services provided by this area include:

    • Central management
    • General accounting, budgeting, payroll and leave accounting
    • Recruitment, employment, classification, employee benefits and worker’s compensation
    • Building maintenance, construction and renovations, capital outlay
    • State Police garage operations
    • Purchasing, warehousing and distribution of all supplies and equipment necessary for department operations
    • Mailroom and print shop operations
    • Centralized training for Department of State Police, other state agencies and local law enforcement agencies, including basic training for new troopers, mandated in-service training and specialized training
    • Cafeteria operations which provide three meals a day to students attending training at the State Police Academy

    Funding in this service area is used to support the staff and related expenses associated with providing the services.

    The non-general funds are generated through the sale of meals at the State Police cafeteria.
  • Financial Breakdown
    FY 2009    FY 2010
      General Fund     Nongeneral Fund        General Fund     Nongeneral Fund  
    Base Budget $18,901,518 $1,113,644    $18,901,518 $1,113,644
    Change To Base $0 $0    $0 $0
               
    Service Area Total   $18,901,518  $1,113,644     $18,901,518  $1,113,644 
Service Area Objectives
 
  • Ensure that resources are used efficiently and programs are managed effectively, and in a manner consistent with applicable state and federal requirements.
    Objective Description
    The Superintendent of State Police is responsible for the efficient and effective use of agency resources. These resources must be used in accordance with state and federal requirements. State agencies in Virginia use performance measurement to help ensure that state resources are used efficiently and state programs are managed effectively. The Governor's Management Scorecard reports on agency performance in core management functions, including human resource management, government procurement, financial management, IT / enterprise architecture initiatives, performance management, and environmental and historic resource stewardship.
    Alignment to Agency Goals
    • Agency Goal: Continually seek ways to deliver the most cost-effective and efficient law enforcement services possible.
    Objective Strategies
    • Monitor human resource management, procurement, financial management, IT / enterprise architecture initiatives, performance management, and environmental and historic resource stewardship to ensure efficient use of resources and effective management of programs.
    • Improve the Central Criminal Repository and Support Systems.
    • Replace and enhance the inventory, fleet management, and fixed asset systems.
    • Automate accounts receivables, grants and project accounting, and replace two legacy billing systems.
    • Replace and update legacy human resource (HR) systems and automate many functions in HR that are currently handled manually.
    Objective Measures
    • Percentage of Governor's Management Scorecard categories marked as "meets expectations" for the agency
      Measure Class:
      Other
      Measure Type:
      Outcome
      Measure Frequency:
      Quarterly
      Preferred Trend:
      Up
      Measure Target Value:
      100
      Date:
      6/30/2010

      Measure Target Description: Increase percentage of "Meets Expectations" on the scorecard to 100% in FY2009 and FY2010.

      Data Source and Calculation: The Virginia Excels website (http://www.vaexcels.governor.virginia.gov/performance/scorecardresults.cfm) contains Management Scorecard results for state agencies.


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