The Town of Gordonsville Police Department is transitioning to one of public safety.
Last month, new police chief Christopher Votaw presented a proposal that he said would address a documented gap between law enforcement response and emergency medical services response, improving outcomes during medical emergencies and strengthening coordination with regional safety partners. The proposal transitions the town’s police department into a public safety department integrating law enforcement, basic life support and emergency management functions into a unified framework.
Votaw said documented response times within the town reveal law enforcement responds within approximately two minutes while the average EMS response is approximately 14 minutes. There is no EMS station in the town. With the first five to 10 minutes being critical in medical emergencies, Votaw said there is a window in which basic life support interventions can improve patient stabilization and survivability.
Under Votaw’s proposal, law enforcement services will continue, but sworn personnel will also be trained and certified at the EMT-B level to provide basic life support. This includes CPR, bleeding control, airway support and other stabilization measures. This would provide care until the county EMS arrives. The town personnel would not do any ambulance transports or advanced life support measures. The program would utilize existing personnel with no plans for additional hires. Training would be conducted in phases.
Additionally, the department would serve as the town’s emergency management, enhancing preparedness, coordination, compliance with state and federal frameworks and improve eligibility for grant funding.
The program is estimated to cost $56,000 at startup. This includes training and national certification expenses, overtime and backfill costs to maintain patrol coverage during training and initial medical equipment and supplies to outfit patrol vehicles. Ongoing expenses, if any, are expected to be modest and addressed through the annual budget process and grant funding opportunities.
“By bridging the gap between rapid law enforcement response and EMS arrival, this proposal provides a practical, life-saving enhancement to public safety services without duplicating existing systems or expanding municipal risk,” Votaw said.
The town council members agreed.
“It’s really going to cut down response time in Gordonsville,” mayor Ron Brooks said. “In a small locality it’s never a bad thing to have people cross trained in many different areas.”
The council voted 5-0 to allow Votaw to move forward with the transition.
