Records of the Virginia Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, 2000-2006 (bulk 2002-2005)

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888

Summary

Creator:
Virginia Office of the Secretary of Public Safety
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Constituent and internal correspondence, decision briefs, legislative files, speeches, and other working papers and records created and collected by the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety during the gubernatorial term of Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner, 2002-2006. This collection consists of 11 records series which document the activities of the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, as well as the agencies and boards which fall under its heading.

Biographical / historical:

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 Mark R. Warner's term (2002-2006), 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 Warner administration are as follows: Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Commonwealth's Attorneys' Services Council, Department of Correctional Education, Department of Corrections, Department of Criminal Justice Services, Department of Emergency Management, Department of Fire Programs, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Military Affairs, the Virginia Parole Board, and the Virginia State Police.

On December 20, 2001, Governor Mark R. Warner appointed John W. Marshall as his Secretary of Public Safety. Prior to taking this position, Marshall had served as a trooper, special agent, training academy instructor, and sergeant with the Virginia State Police. In 1994, President William J. Clinton appointed Marshall to serve as the United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia. In 1999, he was nominated to serve as director of the United States Marshals Service. He was the first African-American to hold this position.

On December 29, 2001, Governor Warner appointed Robert P. Crouch, Jr. as Chief Deputy Secretary of Public Safety. Later, in March 2002, Barry R. Green was appointed to serve as Deputy Secretary, and Marilyn P. Harris was appointed to serve as Assistant Secretary of Public Safety, as well as the Director of the Governor's Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (GOSAP). In April 2002, Dawn Smith was also asked to serve as an Assistant Secretary, a position she held throughout the four-year term. Crouch left in May 2005 to become Counselor to the Governor, and Green left in June 2005 to take over as Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Harris was then appointed as Deputy Secretary, and served in that position until the end of Governor Warner's term.

Information about this office is also available in the archived website files of the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, (2005-2006). They can be found by searching the Library of Virginia's catalog using "Secretary of Public Safety" as the subject.

Acquisition information:
Transferred by Iva B. Frizzell, Office of the Secretary of Public Safety, 1111 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, 12 January 2006.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into the following series:

  • Series I. Agency Correspondence, 2002-2005
  • Series II. Appointment Calendars, 2002-2006
  • Series III. Constituent Correspondence, 2002-2006
  • Series IV. Decision Briefs, 2002-2005
  • Series V. Federal Grants, 2002-2005
  • Series VI. Historical Records, 2002-2005
  • Series VII. Legislative Files, 2001-2005
  • Series VIII. Public Relations Files, 2001-2005
  • Series IX. Secretary's Correspondence, 2002-2006
  • Series X. Special Projects and Programs, 2000-2005
  • Series XI. Speeches, 2002-2005
Physical description:
34.3 cu. ft. (101 boxes)