VUU’s new police chief profiled in the T-D

The Times-Dispatch recently ran a nice story on Virginia Union University’s new(ish) police chief Carlton G. Edwards highlighting his commitment to campus safety and his ability to rally the troops in less-than-desirable situations.

Edwards took charge of VUU’s police on December 1 of last year after retiring from the Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department as a deputy chief. He was appointed VCU deputy chief when police chief Willie Fuller was arrested in January 2009 on charges that he sexually solicited a Chesterfield County police detective posing as a 14-year-old girl online.

Some highlights from the article:

“I want [the students] to feel extremely safe when they’re on Virginia Union’s campus,” he said. “We have a small police force here, and we have good students. Just like any college campus, you have a few bumps in the road.”

[...]

During his career at VCU, Edwards distinguished himself as a gifted communicator with an optimistic outlook and good sense of humor, said VCU police Capt. David Q. Welch.

“I used to tease him that he ought to run for political office — people would listen,” Welch said, adding that he also used to joke with Edwards about how well he dresses. “In 25 years, I’ve never seen him wear the same tie twice.”

[...]

Edwards’ leadership as interim chief helped restore the morale of a police department that was stung by the circumstances of Fuller’s unceremonious departure, Welch said.

“It was a very controversial time for us,” Welch said. Edwards “kind of built back that feeling of success in the organization.”

Read the full story here.