Richlands Police Department announces introduction of a new program

RICHLANDS, VA (WVNS) — A new program to help members of the community was announced by the Richlands Police Department.

According to a post on the Richlands Police Department’s Facebook page, with the addition of a new program, officers at the Richlands Police Department with medical training will be able to answer medical calls when necessary.

The Richlands Police Department stated that three people who work at the police department have medical training that ranges from a paramedic to Emergency Medical Technicians, and the program will be supervised by Police Lieutenant Matt Whited, who is also the Director of the Richlands Rescue Squad.

The patrol cars of the three medically trained personnel at the department will be certified as emergency medical response vehicles, which will let the cars be stocked with resources that could be needed in life-saving situations.

We are proud to offer this service to our citizens. The men who answered this calling are highly trained in their respective roles. They will serve as a tremendous asset to our community by enhancing our current services while still performing their duties as police officers. With this announcement, we hope one of the takeaways is that this isn’t something that we have to do, it’s a service that we want to provide because we truly care about the safety and well-being of our community.

Chief Ron Holt

The Facebook post stated that the ability for the employees with medical training to answer medical calls will help with quicker response times, enhance current services, and ease the strain heavy call volumes cause for existing medical crews in the area.

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