Monroe had Virginia officer certification
Rodney Monroe, now police chief in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., held a valid certification to be a Virginia law-enforcement officer while he was Richmond's chief of police, state officials confirmed.
News broke this week that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department had reassigned a police captain after he said he was preparing a study guide to help Monroe pass a state certification test there.
Capt. Mike Campagna sent an e-mail asking training officers to draft answers to training objectives for a study guide he was preparing to help Monroe pass a state test.
Monroe wrote back the next day calling the captain's e-mail "highly inappropriate" and stated he would continue preparing for the state exam in the same manner as anyone else.
Monroe must pass the North Carolina exam by July 30 to be certified as a police officer in North Carolina, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Monroe left Richmond a year ago to be chief in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services requires law-enforcement officers to take a written test and complete a minimum of 480 hours of entry-level training and 100 hours of on-the-job training, along with 40 more hours of "in-service" training every two years, according to Leon Baker Jr., director of the department's office of regulatory affairs.
The DCJS routinely waives some of these requirements for officers based on their experience level, Baker said.
Baker said the DCJS waived some requirements for Monroe and for his successor, Bryan T. Norwood, and that Monroe completed his required in-service training and was compliant throughout his time in Richmond.
Norwood, who became Richmond's chief in November, also is in compliance, Baker said. Norwood has until Jan. 31 to complete 40 hours of in-service training.
Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or
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Reader Reactions
The saga continues. Goodness. Did Monroe know that his subordinate was requesting “on the clock” officers to spend their taxpayer-supported hours preparing a study guide for their chief? Based on what we have learned about his “activities” in Richmond and at VCU, can we surmise that he needed additional help to obtain the certification required for his position. Too bad the folks at VCU and the Wilder School couldn’t lend a hand to their buddy since they did such a good job of “flying below the radar” when doing special favors for Monroe. And, BTW, aren’t most of those folks - those who were directly involved in the Monroe degree fiasco, still employed in the Wilder School and University College?
Sounds ok, but there seems as if there may be some ‘dog’ in this ‘cat’.
What the reporter in Richmond left out were key dates. What date was Monroe hired in Richmond? What date did he receive his Va. certification? By deduction then, couldn’t a 3rd grader deduce that Monroe may have operated outside the law, while serving initially as Richmond’s chief?
If not, then did the reporter omit a potential legal provision which might allow for a chief to be hired and then a grace period within which he or she is required to secure approval?
Otherwise, how was it that Monroe initially performed as Richmond Chief, within the law? A followup would be helpful.
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