UPDATE: The Charlottesville Police Department has identified the individual depicted in the previously released photograph and confirmed that the person is a sworn Virginia law enforcement officer assigned to a state regulatory agency.

CPD has also confirmed that this individual is not associated with immigration enforcement of any kind.

 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) is asking for help in identifying a man who entered the Charlottesville Area Technical Education Center (CATEC) asking for information regarding a student, possibly by impersonating law enforcement, on Wednesday morning.

According to CPD, the man displayed a badge to CATEC staff at approximately 10:47 a.m. at the center’s Rio Road East campus. He did, however, not present identification. In keeping with CATEC protocol, staff withheld information and requested that he leave the property. CATEC then notified law enforcement and relevant school officials.

CPD contacted multiple local law enforcement and government agencies, including Homeland Security, in an effort to identify the man and determine why he entered CATEC and sought student information.

“At this time, the male has not been identified, and no area agency has been able to verify that he is a law enforcement officer,” the CPD release said.

Chief Mike Kochis told WINA Morning News Thursday, “Let me say this, CATEC was amazing. They did all the right things.”

“We are investigating and trying to figure out who this individual was,” Kochis said.

“Anyone, you can go online at Amazon and buy a badge, so just because someone shows you a badge doesn’t mean a whole lot. It needs to be followed by credentials that actually identifies who you are.”

CATEC serves students in both the city and Albemarle County. Wednesday night, Albemarle County Schools sent out an email to the community making it aware of the incident and requesting that anyone with information or who could identify the man call Crime Stoppers at (434) 977-4000.

“The safety and privacy of our students remain our highest priorities,” the email said. “All ACPS schools follow strict protocols before releasing any student information or granting visitor access. Individuals must provide proper identification and documentation, and no student records are shared without authorization.”