CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (cvillerightnow.com) – The Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) and the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Albemarle County effective immediately on September 16, 2024. The agreement will streamline agencies’ responsibilities and ensure efficient collaboration in providing services.

Albemarle County Sheriff Chan Bryant had lobbied the Board of Supervisors to provide four additional sheriff’s deputies, claiming that her office was not able to meet the current MOU’s requirements. When her request was denied, Chan Bryant dissolved the contract.

Key provisions of the new agreement include:
  • ACPD will handle temporary detention orders (TDOs), post-conviction fingerprinting services, storage of evidence, and assist ACSO with after-hours oversight of the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) terminal.
  • ACSO will handle prisoner extraditions, data entries for court-generated documents, and courtroom warrant services.
  • ACSO will remain a resource for ACPD to utilize for search and rescue operations within Albemarle County. In cases where the sheriff is willing and able to assist the search and rescue effort, both agencies will engage in a unified command structure. ACPD’s existing MOUs with the Blue Ridge Mountain Search and Rescue Group and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) remain in effect.

“The dissolution of the prior MOU has provided an opportunity for both the police department and sheriff’s office to re-evaluate our roles, identify common ground, and strengthen our partnership. This new agreement will ensure that we continue to serve our community with greater efficiency and effectiveness,” said Colonel Sean Reeves, Chief of the Albemarle County Police Department.

The MOU will remain in effect until June 30, 2025, at which time it will automatically renew for a one-year period, unless terminated by either party by providing one-year written notice.