VCSA mourns loss of former president

2019 Training Symposium Cancelled

It is with great sadness that we share that retired Colonial Heights VA Police Lieutenant Tom Kifer passed away October 30 while at home.  Tom was President of the VCSA from 2007 to 2009 and was active in the organization for many, many years.

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Tom suffered a major heart attack last November and never fully recovered. He medically retired and was recovering at home.

Please keep Tom's wife Christine and his daughter Allyson in your prayers.

God speed, Tom Kifer...a more gentle soul, we never knew.

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Here is the info on funeral arrangements:

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Location: American Legion Hall
505 Springdale Avenue
Colonial Heights, VA 23834

(804) 526-4167

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When: Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 2:00 PM

Letter from VCSA President

Dear VCSA Members,

I am extremely sorry to inform you that our annual fall training symposium which was scheduled on September 27 and 28, 2019 in Winchester Virginia has been cancelled due to a lack of registrations.

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I know that many of you have attended our annual meeting in the past, and for some this was an opportunity to connect with fellow board members from across the Commonwealth. Last year the Virginia Crime Stoppers Association lost our major corporate sponsor and the VCSA paid for the entire conference without a sponsor to offset the cost to you, our members.

This year, we were prepared to do the same if enough registrations were received for the event. However, as of the end of August, insufficient registrations were received. We, as a Board, were at a place where we had to solidify reservations and contracts with vendors and such for this year’s symposium. Without the paid registrations, hosting this year’s conference would have been financially draining to our organization. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused but the financial health of our organization weighs heavily on the Board of Directors.

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In place of the annual training symposium, the VCSA Board of Directors plans to hold a day long work shop to strategize ways to improve our organization. During this work shop we will begin planning and marketing for a 2020 training symposium. Once the exact date of the work shop has been selected, we will publish it on our website. This work shop is open for any member program to attend. We welcome your contributions and suggestions.

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Again, on behalf of the entire Board of Directors we regret having to cancel the fall symposium. We hope this did not inconvenience anyone and look forward to building and strengthening our organization going forward.

Thank you for understanding the matter.

Sincerely,

Tommy Potter

VCSA President