United States Virgin Islands Police Department

US law enforcement agency

Law enforcement agency

United States Virgin Islands Police Department
Police Department of the United States Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands Police patch, introduced in 2020

Great Seal, adopted in 2003

Flag of the VIPD

Common name| Virgin Islands Police Department
Abbreviation| VIPD
Agency overview
Formed| 1955
Jurisdictional structure
Legal jurisdiction| United States Virgin Islands
Operational structure
Headquarters| Alexander Farrelly Criminal Justice Center
Agency executives|

* Mario Brooks, Commissioner
* Sidney Elskoe, Assistant Commissioner
* Jason Marsh, Deputy Commissioner
* Sean Santos, St. Croix Chief of Police
* Steven Phillip, St. Thomas-St. John Chief of Police
* Toby Derima, Public Information Director

Website
vipd.vi.gov

The United States Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), officially the Police Department of the United States Virgin Islands, is the law enforcement agency for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and has jurisdiction anywhere in the territory. It is commanded by a commissioner, who is subject to the authority of the governor.[1]

The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force is responsible for policing the British Virgin Islands.

## History

[edit]

VIPD officers in 2012

Ford Police Interceptor Utility in VIPD service

Old VIPD patch, used from 1981 to 2020.

Under the 1936 Organic Act of the Virgin Islands,[2] law enforcement was divided between the municipality of St. Thomas and St. John and the municipality of St. Croix, each of which had a separate Police and Prison Department.[3]

In 1954, revisions were made to the Organic Act that required that the municipal departments be reorganized as part of a territorial executive branch.[3]

The current Virgin Islands Police Department traces its origin to the establishment of the Department of Public Safety, which contained a Police Division, on July 21, 1955.[4]

In 1981, the department adopted a new patch,[5] which was used until November 2020 when a new one was introduced.[6] The department was renamed the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department in 1985.[4] In 2003, the department adopted a seal, which is also featured on its flag.[5]

## Fleet

[edit]

The VIPD operates a variety of vehicles, including cars and SUVs.[7] In 2018 it acquired a fleet of Segways and electric cars for patrolling downtown areas of St. Thomas.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "V.I. Code tit. 23, § 2 (2019)". Virgin Islands Code. 2019. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
2. ^ Elton Lewis. "Looking Back: A Simpler, More Respectful Time". St. John Tradewinds News. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
3. ^ a b Greenberg, Martin Alan (2014). American Volunteer Police: Mobilizing for Security. CRC Press. p. 166\. ISBN 978-1-4822-3254-7.
4. ^ a b "History". United States Virgin Islands Police Department. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
5. ^ a b "Flag, Seal & Patch". U.S. Virgin Islands: U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department. 2010. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010.
6. ^ "New Uniform Reveal". U.S. Virgin Islands: U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department. November 19, 2020.
7. ^ "VIPD Is a Big Step Closer To Having Vehicles It Needs". Virgin Islands Source. 2005-09-10. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
8. ^ Brian O'Connor (2017-03-17). "VIPD debuts new downtown vehicles". Virgin Islands Daily News. Retrieved 2023-05-14.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* United States Virgin Islands Police Department at the Wayback Machine (archived October 14, 1999)

* v
* t
* e

Highway patrol/state police in the United States

See also: Law enforcement in the United States and Highway patrol

States|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* Highway Police
* State Police
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Federal district|

* District of Columbia

Insular areas|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* U.S. Virgin Islands

* v
* t
* e

Law enforcement in North America

Sovereign states|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Canada
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* El Salvador
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States

Dependencies and
other territories

* Anguilla
* Aruba
* Bermuda
* Bonaire
* British Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands
* Curaçao
* Greenland
* Guadeloupe
* Martinique
* Montserrat
* Puerto Rico
* Saint Barthélemy
* Saint Martin
* Saint Pierre and Miquelon
* Saba
* Sint Eustatius
* Sint Maarten
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* United States Virgin Islands

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

This United States Virgin Islands-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

This United States law enforcement agency article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template