Henrico Division of Police has no data reflecting time, costs of mutual aid to Richmond

The Henrico Division of Police has been assisting the city of Richmond Police Department during recent daily protests and rallies in the city through a mutual aid agreement that the two localities share, but Henrico Police officials don’t have any record of how many hours their officers have spent on duty in the city or how much that service is costing Henrico County, a Henrico Police spokesperson told the Citizen.

That’s because the division does not typically compile such data, Henrico Police Lt. A. M. Robertson told the Citizen.

The Citizen requested both sets of data, but the Virginia Freedom of Information Act does not require government agencies to compile data that does not already exist.

“The Division is not in possession of any documents that meet your specifications,” Robertson wrote in an email. “We can be back in touch if that data is complied.”

Earlier this month, Varina District Supervisor Tyrone Nelson called for the county to remove its officers from Richmond if they were engaging in any tear-gassing actions of protesters or other similar responses. On Monday, Nelson posted on Twitter that Henrico Police Chief Hum Cardounel told him that Henrico officers had not participated in Richmond in more than a week.

“I met today with Henrico Chief Cardonel [sic] and expressed my concerns and those of County residents regarding Henrico PD involvement in recent protests in Richmond City,” Nelson wrote. “The Chief has committed to me that HPD has not been involved for more than seven days and does not presently have any plans to participate. I will continue to keep a watchful eye and will continue to seek answers on your behalf."

That timeline would mean that the last time Henrico officers were involved was June 14-15, when several were among a line of officers protecting the Richmond Police headquarters, where a group of protesters gathered in the evening June 14 and remained until the early morning hours of June 15.

On June 1, Robertson told the Citizen that Henrico officers had been involved with the initial three nights of protests in Richmond (May 29-31), some of which become violent. He declined the Citizen’s request to provide the number of officers involved, however.

“We are assisting the City of Richmond as they make the request,” Robertson told the Citizen at that time.

It’s unclear whether Henrico officers were involved every day until June 15 or not.

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