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Library of Virginia
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Processed by: Alan B. Arellano
Privacy protected and confidential information is restricted from public access for 75 years per code of Virginia 42.1-78 , 2.2-3800 and 2.2-3705.1-8 . Restricted records in this collection have been sealed but not removed from the collection. Types of sealed information may include, but are not limited to: social security numbers, Department of Corrections inmate material, mediation and settlement discussions, and attorney-client privileged material.
There are no restrictions.
Virginia. Office of the Secretary of Public Safety. Records of the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety, 2010-2013 (bulk 2012-2013). Accession 51174, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Accession 51174 transferred, Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, 31 January 2014.
Processing archivist imposed the series arrangement given the absence of usable order. The respective original order of the records within each series was respected and maintained.
In 1970, the Governor's Management Commission Study recommended the creation of six "Deputy Governors" to assist the Chief Executive in his managerial duties. Compatible functions of government were grouped under these administrative heads, who would serve as the Governor's top management team.
The office of the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was created on April 8, 1972. Originally, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety oversaw the State Highway Commission, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of State Police, Highway Safety Division, Office of Emergency Services, Department of Military Affairs, Virginia State Crime Commission, and the Law Enforcement Officers Training Standards Commission. Since that time, the Office has undergone a series of administrative reorganizations. On April 12, 1976, the Legislature established separate secretariats for transportation and public safety, effective July 1, 1976. On July 1, 1984, the offices were again combined. Finally, the two became separate offices on February 22, 1990, and have remained separate in the years since.
The Secretary of Public Safety is a member of the Governor's Cabinet, is appointed by the governor, and is subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. Throughout Governor Robert F. McDonnell's term (2010-2014), the Secretary of Public Safety was responsible for the direction of, or had jurisdiction over 11 state agencies and boards. The agencies and boards under the heading of the Secretary of Public Safety during the McDonnell administration were: Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, Commonwealth's Attorney's Services Council, Department of Corrections, Department of Criminal Justice Services, Department of Emergency Management, Department of Fire Programs, Department of Forensic Sciences, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Military Affairs, the Virginia State Police, and the Department of Veterans Services. Legislation in 2010 by Governor McDonnell moved the Department of Veterans Services (DVS) from the Office of Public Safety to the Office of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security along with the Virginia War Memorial.
On December 3, 2009, Governor-elect Robert F. McDonnell appointed Marla Graff Decker as his Secretary of Public Safety. Prior to taking this position, Decker had served as the Deputy Attorney General of Public Safety and Enforcement Division in the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. There she supervised drafting of criminal legislation, staffing of crime prevention initiatives and the initiation of criminal prosecutions. On October 1, 2013, Governor McDonnell appointed Decker to the Court of Appeals of Virginia to fill Judge Larry Elder's seat vacancy (September 4, 2013). Thus, on November 1, 2013 Bryan Michael Rhode was appointed as Secretary of Public Safety. Rhode previously served as the Commissioner of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Deputy Secretary of Public Safety.
Some of the key initiatives, advisory boards, and task forces during Decker and Rhode's tenure concerned prisoner reentry programs, substance abuse prevention, domestic violence prevention and response, statewide gang prevention and alternatives of non-violent offenders.
The Secretary of Public Safety records consists of 2 archival boxes and are divided into 3 series. Internal correspondence (email and physical), legislative files, memoranda, reports, council and board briefs, and other working papers comprise this collection. These records document the activities of the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, as well as the agencies and boards which fall under its heading during the gubernatorial term of Robert F. McDonnell.
This collection is arranged into the following series:
Series I. Special Projects and Studies - Office of the Secretary; Series II. Assigned State Agencies - Correspondence and Supporting Documents; Series III. Correspondence and Supporting Documents - Office of the Secretary;The Governor Robert F. McDonnell Administration Web Archive Collection, 2010-2014 contains archived versions of websites for the Governor's Office, his initiative sites, and the sites of his cabinet secretaries, including the Secretary of Public Safety .
The Records of the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Collection includes material from the previous Secretary.
The Records of the Virginia Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security during Governor Robert F. McDonnell's Gubernatorial tenure.
The Records of Governor Robert F. McDonnell's Secretary of Transportation Collection
The Records of Governor Robert F. McDonnell's Secretary of Administration Collection
This bulk of this series contains briefings, reports, agendas, and other material documenting the activities of the various boards, committees, and councils supporting the main initiatives of the Secretary. This series is arranged alphabetically by name of work group and chronologically therein.
The Correspondence and Supporting Documentation related to the Assigned State agencies are arranged alphabetically by name of the office (agency), and chronologically therein. Restricted material related to terrorism, personnel records, attorney-client privileged matters and administrative investigations has been sealed but not removed. This series contains not only contains internal correspondence, but also related supporting material such as strategic plans, organizational structure information, legislative working papers, reports, memoranda, and notes from the secretary.
The Correspondence and Supporting Documentation of the Secretary of Public Safety are arranged chronologically. Some of the common themes found in the communications include military affairs, budget and planning, policy related to a hiring freeze and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority's regulations, along with initiatives related to the other two series in this collection. Researchers looking for correspondence specifically, should also see the other two series in this collection, as they also include this type of material. Restricted material related to terrorism, personnel records, and administrative investigations has been sealed but not removed. This series contains correspondence, along with supporting material such as agendas, reports, policies, and presentations. The processing archivist created this series given the lack of a formal usable original order, but very general grouping of material.