FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2020
The Charlottesville Police Department is pleased to announce the hiring of Fourth Amendment Investigative Analyst, Larry Jacobs, who will start on December 7, 2020.
A native of Portsmouth, Virginia, Mr. Jacobs is a retired officer of the Portsmouth Police Department and most recently served as a Virginia Magistrate. Following his retirement in 2013, he completed his collegiate education by obtaining a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from St. Leo University, and is pursuing a doctorate in Public Policy Administration with a Criminal Justice concentration from Walden University.
The Fourth Amendment Investigative Analyst position was created as a result of the continued restructuring of CPD based on the vision of Chief RaShall M. Brackney, Ph.D. This newly created civilianized position, along with several other recently civilianized positions, are a part of the department’s continued efforts under Chief Brackney to respond to the community’s demands for greater transparency, legitimacy, and trust.
“I’m looking forward to building a covenant of transparency and trust between the community and the police department, and I will incorporate scientific research methodologies such as triangulation to meet these challenges,” said Larry Jacobs, CPD’s new 4th Amendment Analyst. “I look forward to working with everyone to continue making Charlottesville a community of trust, inclusion, excellence, and mutual respect.”
Mr. Jacobs’ roles and responsibilities will primarily consist of data collection, assembling and interpreting investigative detention reports, Body Worn Camera evidence, and officer-initiated encounters to determine if those incidents were conducted in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and ordinances, as well as the police department’s policy. Along with the many other facets of data available on the department’s website, these reports have been public since late 2018 as an added layer of transparency.
Mr. Jacobs will assume the roles and responsibilities from a Police Sergeant and Dr. Brackney, which will also allow for the reallocation of resources to emergency responses within the Charlottesville community.
“The Charlottesville Police Department is excited to add such a talented and well-rounded individual to our department. Beyond academe, or social justice organizations, I believe our analyst is the only one of its kind—dedicated to reviewing and triangulating officer-initiated encounters,” said Dr. Brackney. “CPD has an obligation to provide the citizens we serve with the most accurate, informed and descriptive statistical analyses of our Investigative Detentions, and to ensure our policies and practices do not contribute to systems of disproportionately or disparity.”
The vigorous hiring process for this position lasted more than a year, and involved collaboration and participation from the community, including: Ms. Elizabeth Murtagh, Deputy Public Defender, Mr. Jeffrey Fogel, a local civil rights attorney, Mr. James Watson and Mr. Bellamy Brown, members of the newly-formed Police Civilian Review Board, each of whom served on the interview panel. Additional panelist included members of the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, and the Charlottesville’s City Manager’s and Attorney’s Offices.
"In participating in the final round of the hiring process, I found it to be thorough and well-conducted, and it is my hope that this role will succeed in creating greater transparency and fostering trust with the community that the Charlottesville Police Department serves,” said Bellamy W. Brown, a member of Charlottesville Police Civilian Review Board. “I am grateful to Chief Brackney for including members of the Police Civilian Review Board in the process; and hope to continue a collaborative environment in our aim to serve our community members."
“I was very happy to help with this process and grateful that Chief Brackney and senior members of her department invited me to participate,” said Elizabeth Murtagh, Deputy Public Defender. “The initial first encounter citizens have with the police officer is so important, as there are dire consequences attached to that action, and there are laws that guide officers and department policies that need to be followed.”
“This position is devoted to a designated, knowledgeable member of the department to review these first encounters which will protect citizens and the officers, and hopefully this will continue the department's commitment to being more transparent,” added Murtagh.
“Although I was disappointed in the fact that we had no applicants with public defender backgrounds, the persons who did apply were subject to rigorous interviews both about their expertise in the Fourth Amendment as well as the values we are trying to promote, including transparency and accountability,” said Jeffrey Fogel, a local civil rights attorney. “It is my hope that reliable, accurate reporting about arrests and street encounters, albeit not accessible to the public, will assist the credibility of the police department.”
Mayor Nikuyah Walker also commended Dr. Brackney’s consistent efforts to respond to concerns voiced by the community by listening and merging those concerns with her analysis to create sustainable solutions that show her commitment to change.
“The hiring of Mr. Jacobs highlights Chief Brackney’s commitment to creating a just system for citizens who come in contact with law enforcement,” said Mayor Walker. “As we engage in necessary and robust debate regarding defund, and/or reform, and/or abolish in an attempt to intimately define our local movement and come to an agreement on a local process, we have a new civilian position that will hopefully begin to restore trust in our police department.”
Media Contact
Tyler Hawn
Public Information Officer
Charlottesville Police Department
434-409-3439
hawnto@charlottesville.gov