Complaints, Commendations

The Richmond Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response (DECPR) values the feedback it receives from the community and is dedicated to providing the best emergency and non-emergency communication service possible to all of Richmond’s citizens. Our Emergency Communications Officers are carefully selected and given the best training. The collective work of all DECPR staff members meets and exceeds national industry standards. On May 4, 2019, the DEC achieved national accreditation by Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). Less than 2 percent of all emergency communications center in the United States achieve accreditation.

We encourage you to let us know how we are doing. The department investigates all complaints against the agency or its employees, including anonymous complaints. Some 911 callers may receive a follow-up text message to rank the service they received on the call. More information about these after-call surveys is here.

Commendations

If you would like to commend a DECPR staff member or members for a job well done, please email 911rva@rva.gov. Also, you may post it on our social media accounts with the hashtag #thankyou911RVA. Your message will be shared with the appropriate staff member and supervisor.

Complaints

Incident in progress:

If you are not receiving the response that you need, please call 804-646-5100 and ask to speak to the on-duty communications supervisor, who can follow up in real-time.

Incident no longer in progress:

If you did not receive the response that you need and you choose to make a complaint, we follow a formal process to ensure that your complaint is thoroughly investigated. When you file a complaint, you will be asked to provide your name, address and telephone number where you can be reached, and the details of your complaint, including date, time, location, and name of the involved employee(s) if known.

To file a complaint after the incident, please call 804-646-5911. You also may contact the Department Director Stephen Willoughby at 804-646-5142 or email stephen.willoughby@rva.gov.

When we receive your complaint, the Management Team will send a letter to inform you that your complaint has been received and assigned for investigation.

Internal investigations

The Richmond Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response investigates all complaints received, including those that are anonymous, and compiles statistical summaries based on the investigations that are made available to the public and agency employees.