MESSAGE FROM THE SHERIFF

Dr. Antionette V. Irving, Sheriff, City of Richmond

On behalf of the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office (RCSO), I am pleased to present the 2024 Annual Report. This report highlights our accomplishments, community activities, special activities, and statistical information for 2024.

Thank you for taking the time to review our annual report. We hope that you find it transparent and relevant as we continue to expand our role in the city. We are committed to the growth of this city as we assist others to grow in themselves, their families, and in their community. The dedication and commitment exhibited by the staff members of RCSO exhibit strength and determination to build a stronger and safer Richmond.

Our focus in 2024 was to increase the trust of the public and to build public confidence. We have ensured that we are conducting thorough and timely investigations of complaints as they may arise with this office. Recruiting and retention have been our top priority in 2024. We are working on innovative advertisement opportunities to bring in new staff and retaining good staff members. We are investing in the growth and development of all staff.

In 2024, there were no in-custody deaths and no major complaints from citizens in connection with the actions of our officers. This career is about service and ensuring that we give the most to the citizens of Richmond.

We successfully obtained passing certification of 100% from:

• Virginia DOC Inspections
• Fire Marshal’s Inspections
• United States Marshal’s Inspection
• Health Inspection
• Fire Alarm Inspections
• Fire Extinguisher Inspections
• AED Inspections
• Pharmacy Inspections (quarterly inspections)

Our grants team continues to research the needs of this office, our programs, and those in the community to seek funding to assist in areas to support our programs and provide needed equipment to our agency. The team has successfully expanded our grant awards since 2018, bringing us to a total of $8,110,985.91. The securing of grants ensures we provide opportunity for growth and lives are transformed and rebuilt.

We will continue to grow our collaboration with community partners as we serve to transform the lives of many. Our goal is to have quality programming and make efficient use of available resources that will evolve our community, staff, and residents in many positive and productive directions. We will continue our efforts to keep members of the community safe, especially our children and seniors. We will continue our efforts to combat the opioid crisis with the innovation of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)/ Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) programs and treatment. We continue to provide programming to individuals while they are at our facility or at work, to establish program sites and provide resources for them when they are released. We continue to assist individuals with reentry and life restoration.

We are thankful for our ongoing partnerships with the City of Richmond, the Mayor, City Council, School Board, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond Behavior Health Authority, Fire, Richmond Police Department, Richmond Ambulance Authority, and our many partners, that assist us in being able to provide services and grow here in the city. We look forward to fostering relationships and partnerships with our neighboring jurisdictions in the Central Virginia region. We thank our city leadership and local government for its continued support and efforts to assist this office; through it all, we are RICHMOND! We continue building partnerships with our many partners to ensure we provide for those within our facility, their families, and those in our Richmond community.

We are committed to a better and safer community from the inside out and the outside in. We are committed to providing a wide range of opportunities for members of our community, as well as the individuals in custody. We are helping to grow the lives of those that are a part of our community.

As you explore our report, you will see many community outings that we highlight. These events are results of RCSO being in the community throughout the year. They have brought about a better understanding of the sheriff’s office and have built a sense of respect on both sides. These interactions with the community present unification and a bright future for our city. We use these opportunities to address the challenges within our city and surrounding neighborhoods. We have been able to accomplish so much together as a reflection of our community engagement. We have worked on projects to assist the unhoused and those living in poverty. The purpose being to build healthier and safer communities. Our Justice summits focused on mental and behavioral health and public safety, as well as justice reform and environmental sustainability.

We hope that you find this report both informative and valuable. We strive continuously to impact the lives of those that are in vulnerable situations by providing hope and structure to ensure they are home ready, work ready, community ready, and family ready. Ready to walk into a productive life understanding their trauma and abilities to overcome as they walk into their next chapter. The work that we do is possible through the efforts of our staff, volunteers, and partners. Thank you for using a wide lens to view the vision of this office. We are proud to collaborate with the many local organizations and partners as we work toward our goals.

Hopefully, you will see when reviewing this report our commitment and dedication to serve you, the citizens of Richmond. Thank you for allowing us to serve you. We look forward to continuing to serve you!

In 2025, our goals include: growth, excellence, transparency, innovation, increased wages, enhanced training, retention and hiring. We continue to focus on recruitment and retention. As we continue to have unfilled deputy positions, we strive to increase salaries of our staff members at entry-level deputy and supervisory positions to ensure that we are able to recruit, hire and retain officers to serve this city at the highest level of professionalism. The second area of focus will be training and development for all staff members. We will work to ensure that our staff members are able to communicate within our culturally diverse environment, as well as, with those that may be differently-abled. As we grow, expectations shall grow for our staff members, vendors and contractors, volunteers, population and administration.

To learn more about the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office or to join our team, please visit our website rva.gov/sheriff. New starting salary in 2025 will be $54,590.

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