Information
The US Department of Veteran Affairs Police is the largest uniformed federal police force in the nation with over 2200 officers assigned to 171 duty stations.
The VA Police in Boston is one of the busier duty stations in the system. It currently employs 23 officers, 6 supervisors, a Criminal Investigator, civilian clerk, secretary and the Chief. The main medical center, which is headquarters for several properties located within the state, is located in Jamaica Plain, A secondary medical is in West Roxbury; we have outpatient clinics located in downtown Boston, Lowell, Framingham and Worcester; three halfway houses in neighboring communities; A Vet center; and a Automated data Processing Center situated in Braintree.
VA Police officers conduct foot and motor patrols of the facilities as well as answering all alarms and calls for assistance. The primary Police Operations Center is located in Jamaica Plain and is manned 24 hours per day. In addition to performing all of the traditional police duties, we also find ourselves dealing with persons having psychological, alcohol and drug abuse problems. There are also other issues to deal with that are brought about by being in a urban environment and dealing with persons of a diverse ethnic background.
All VA Police officers are sworn officers meeting all requirements of the U.S. Civil Service standards. All VA Police officers complete a basic training course located in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Law Enforcement training center is approved by the U.S. Department of Justice and accredited by the University of Arkansas. VA Police officers are authorized by Federal law to perform law enforcement, and investigative and arrest functions under Title 38, USC, section 902. The officers in Boston also have state arrest authority granted to them by a act of Retrocession signed into law in 1975 by then Governor Michael Dukakis. This empowers the officers to enforce state statue as well as federal Code for all violations occurring under our jurisdiction. This requires that our officers be prepared to testify in either State or federal Court, depending on the situation.
Since 1986, 7 VA officers have been killed in the line of duty.
Officer MARVIN BRAND, Bedford,
MA. Killed in a motor vehicle
accident while responding to a emergency
call.
Officers MARK DECKER & LEONARD WILCOX, Brecksville, Ohio. Shot and killed while investigating a suspicious person.
Officer RONALD HEARNS, Bronx, New York. Shot and killed while on a foot pursuit that had ran through the metal detector. Was shot by a second suspect.
Officer GARRY ROSS, location unknown. Suffered a heart attack after restraining a violent patient.
Officer HORST WOODS, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Shot and killed while checking out a suspicious person near his police cruiser.
Officer Jose Rodriguez-Reyes, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Shot and killed when attacked by two persons.
Several officers have been shot and
wounded along with others being injured by stabbing, struck by
motor vehicles, etc.
VA Police Operations (Boston) (617) 232-9500 Ext:5291 Emergencies Ext: 5911
