Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

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.

Acquisition Information

Accession 51174 transferred, Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, 31 January 2014.

Processing Information

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.

Biographical/Historical Information

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.

Scope and Content

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.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

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