Your Safety is Their Priority
Marlie Soderquist, staff writer
A typical day at work for Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Chief of Police, Chris Wyatt consists of patrolling the grounds, handing out parking tickets, supervising other security guards and officers, volunteering in the community garden, and fixing odds and ends around campus.
After retiring from Richmond’s police department after twenty-two years, Wyatt (a PVCC alum) noticed the college was hiring. He thought that this job would be a walk in the park compared to the shootings, homicides, and robberies he saw in Richmond every day. Wyatt applied and was quickly offered the job of chief of police. Currently, Wyatt oversees the safety officers and the three sworn police officers here at PVCC. Safety is his number one priority, and all officers follow the same rules and procedures that he did at Richmond’s police department.
To maintain safety at PVCC, Wyatt plans drills such as the recent table top talk with the state police that discussed what to do in an active shooter situation. He also listens to local police radio stations and keeps in contact with both state, Albemarle police, and the DMV to ensure parking tickets are handled correctly. Measures taken by PVCC’s threat assessment team, made up of faculty members, officers, and board members for when students submit police reports also allow for any apparent threats to be handled properly.
Wyatt believes PVCC’s campus is extremely safe, “I even allow my children to explore the halls of PVCC and I would never leave them alone in the mall,” he joked.
If there ever is a moment you feel unsafe, Wyatt encourages students to dial 911 first, then the PVCC’s police department (434) 981-6362. Any phone calls made to either number will alert the officer on campus, as well as Officer Wyatt. An officer is on campus Monday through Friday, 24 hours a day, and their response time is usually no more than three minutes (depending on the urgency of the situation).
Wyatt reminds students that PVCC has spared no expense to ensure student’s safety: Installing 59 cameras, safe boxes (in case of fire), and hiring amazing officers. Many who are retired police or military.
All of PVCC’s officers have an open-door policy. If you ever have questions, feel free to visit the campus police office in M709 or the security office located next to Perk Up.
