VCU Police appoint new assistant chief

Mason Brown Staff Writer

After a national search for the position, VCU Police has decided that Lt. Christopher Preuss is the best candidate for the department’s assistant chief.

Preuss’s promotion is in one of the largest university campus police departments in the country with 83 sworn officers, more than 250 security personnel and an accredited training academy. Preuss said the transition process is exciting, and he is looking forward to advancing the department in his new role.

“Right now I am just trying to get a feel for the new position, but I am already strategizing for the beginning of the upcoming academic year which starts for us on August 1,” he said.

Moving forward, Preuss said that safety for students is his primary directive.

“I want the students to know that all the personnel at the VCU Police Department will work tirelessly to make VCU the safest campus in the United States. Chief Venuti and myself will personally lead this charge, and it is our number one priority,” Preuss said.

The position of assistant chief is new to VCU Police and will deal with the day-to-day business of the department to work on new initiatives for the force.

Previously, Pruess had been serving since October 2011 as the interim assistant chief.

His knowledge as the interim assistant chief combined with his experience at the department made him a strong fit for the job. A VCU alumni from the class of 1991, Preuss has been around the proverbial VCU block several times.

With his bachelors degree in criminal justice, Preuss joined the department in 1994 as a patrol officer. In 1998, he was promoted to sergeant and commander of the special operations unit, where he oversaw a five-man crime investigation team.

Since joining VCU Police, Preuss has received a number of awards for service in the department, including four public service awards from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and a Henrico County Police Department Investigative Citation Award. Most recently, he graduated from the FBI National Academy last fall.

Pruess, who is not comfortable resting on his achievements, is ready to help advance the department to one of the best in the nation.

“What I am most looking forward to is working with the chief in moving the department towards being the most progressive, proactive, collaborative and responsive police department in Virginia, if not the United States,” Preuss said.

Chief of Police John Venuti said Preuss’s dedication and commitment is what landed him the job.

“Preuss was selected based on his 18 years of impeccable service to VCU as well as his knowledge of the needs of the VCU community regarding police and security,” Venuti said.

Preuss officially started on April 10, and his swearing in ceremony was April 13. CT

Students react to former VCU officer’s sentence for child pornography charges

Former VCU Police officer James DeFord has pleaded guilty to five counts of possession of child pornography and has been sentenced to two years and 10 months imprisonment, according to authorities.

Several students around campus were unaware of the case in which Deford was arrested as part of an undercover joint operation between Richmond Police, the FBI and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Jeremy Price, a student at VCU, was unaware of the Deford story, but felt the sentencing was fair.

“It sounds about right. ... I mean if it was a child rapist, it would be a little different. I think the amount of time is right, and he should not be able to be an officer anymore,” Price said.

However, he said he did not feel the need to be informed about the arrest or sentencing since it only pertained to one officer and not the whole department and because of his own apathy towards the department.

“It’s not super surprising one (way) or another. I don’t really feel a lot different about the VCU Police since I don’t have super high expectations for the police (in general).”

Another student, Colleen Hiegel, felt the sentencing was a little too short.

“I feel like he needs a little more time than that. He doesn't need to go for his whole life or anything like that, but maybe a little more,” she said.

Hiegel found about the DeFord story back in November from her mother, but felt that VCU should inform students about stories like DeFord’s.

“It just seems like VCU doesn’t inform students about a lot unless they have to,” she said.

VCU is required by the Cleary Act to report crimes on and near campus to students. The crimes that must be reported are criminal homicide, sexual offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, arson, motor vehicle theft, liquor and drug law violations, as well as illegal weapons possessions.

However, because DeFord’s residence was in Chesterfield, the crime was considered off-campus.

The investigation, which took place in 2011, saw the arrest of DeFord in November. An undercover officer downloaded a total of six files containing child pornography that came from DeFord via a peer-to-peer network. According to authorities, the officers were then granted a search warrant that was used in obtaining DeFord’s computer.

DeFord later admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography on his computer. The computer had files showing pre-pubesecent children engaged in sexaully explicit content, authorities said.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said the case was an example of Virginia’s commitment to cracking down on child predators.

“The defendant's possession and trading of child pornography contribute greatly to the emotional and psychological damage suffered by the abused and exploited children depicted in this vile material,” Cuccinelli said in a statement. “This case reaffirms the commonwealth's commitment to bring child predators to justice, regardless of their public standing or status.” CT