John Venuti served on the Governor’s Task Force on Combating Sexual Assault in Higher Education and is a graduate of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Violence Against Women Leadership Institute.
John Venuti currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Campus Safety and Chief of Police for Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In that position, he oversees Public Safety and Emergency Management, as well as Parking, Transportation and Fleet.
The VCU Police Department has 99 sworn police officers and over 250 security officers, making it the largest university police department in the state, and one of the largest in the nation. VCU is also the first campus law enforcement agency to implement the You Have Options Program (YHOP), an innovative survivor-focused program for alternative reporting options that helps to reduce barriers and obstacles to reporting sexual assault.
Prior to joining VCU, Chief Venuti served 26 years with the Richmond (Virginia) Police Department (RPD). During his time at RPD, Chief Venuti supervised the Support Services Division, Major Crimes, Special Investigations, and Special Events. Chief Venuti was appointed by Governor McAuliffe to the Virginia State Crime Commission, and he has served on the Governor’s Task Force on Combating Sexual Assault in Higher Education and is a graduate of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Violence Against Women Leadership Institute.
Chief Venuti has a degree in Culinary Arts, from the Culinary Institute of America and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Leadership from Bluefield College. Chief Venuti is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.