Clarification on How U.Va. Receives, Uses Police Reports

A recent news report on WVIR-TV/NBC29 created an incorrect impression of how the University of Virginia receives data on student arrests from local police. The University receives arrest information from University Police, Charlottesville Police and Albemarle County Police, although this information is delivered via different methods.

• The Office of the Dean of Students receives a daily summary of arrests made by University Police. This report includes a description of circumstances of the arrest, as well as the specific offense(s), date, time, location, underlying facts, and student name, address and date of birth.

• The Office of the Dean of Students also receives a daily Charlottesville Police Department bulletin that lists all arrests made by Charlottesville Police. Officials in the Dean of Students office then review the bulletin in order to identify University students. Names are checked against the student database.

In addition to gathering names of students who have been arrested, the office is able to identify students who have been the victims of a crime.

In all cases, students are contacted by the Dean of Students office.

• Notifications by the Albemarle County Police to University Police are made on a more informal case-by-case basis. When those are received, they are forwarded by University Police to the Dean of Students. Recently, Albemarle Police sent University Police the names of all students arrested at the Foxfield steeplechase races.

The University, the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County have long enjoyed strong working relationships that cross all lines of daily operations. The University has been gratified that local police have worked to provide timely information to the University when they have an encounter with any of our students. We all understand the importance of safety in our community and work together to do all we can to foster strong working relationships.