The County’s NaCo Award Winning Employee Academy connects employees with one another and gives them rare insight into the behind-the-scenes operations of myriad county departments. Each session includes tours of three different sites, meeting for two hours every other week. In keeping with the County Manager’s vision of “leadership at all levels” of the organization, tours are conducted by employees in diverse roles within each department. Cohort groups of up to 15 employees tour the three sites together, giving them time to learn about the divisions and also to get to know one another and enlarge their professional networks.
Twenty-one different sites have been included in seven academy sessions so far, with more planned for the future. Just a few departments/divisions that have participated are the Libbie Mill Library Media Center, Water Reclamation Facility, Police 911, Three Lakes Nature Center the Public Works sign shop, and James River Juvenile Detention Center. Another new session is being offered for the FY19/20 training year which will include Community Corrections, Advocate for the Aging and Information Technology.
Participant response has been overwhelmingly positive. With the program going into its fifth year, it’s reputation is spreading and demand is high. The impact on participants has been profound. In post-session surveys, they have revealed that they now understand not only how other departments work, but how their own department fits into the county as a whole. They have also created robust professional networks and have increased their own engagement – and excitement – as Henrico County employees. Some direct quotes from participants include:
- Learning about the different departments helps me understand what happens to make the county great.
- I learned how departments work together to help Henrico County citizens and I’m better able to refer my clients to resources in other County agencies. It also gave me a greater appreciation of the work, stresses, and pride that other county employees encounter.
- I loved learning about the different aspects of a division (there were many, many things that I didn’t know). We may have an idea about what a department does, but truly seeing the departments and getting an explanation helps it all make sense. It shows how the county is integrated into one entity to help serve the customers of Henrico.
- Networking with different people throughout the county was tremendously beneficial.
- I have learned so much more about other departments, how they do things, the scope of what they do, and the collaboration that’s going on between different departments.
For more information about the Employee Academy and other classes being offered for FY19/20, check out the training calendar of classes at https://employees.henrico.us/pdfs/oltd/classroom/oltd_calendar.pdf
Sergeant Burroughs began her career with the Henrico County Police Division on October 22, 2003 and had a goal to pursue her passion for justice while working with some of the County’s furriest team members. Sergeant Burroughs’ love for animals would eventually lead her to the County’s Canine Unit as their Sergeant in January 2017. Of her assignment, Sgt. Burroughs said, “I thought I would play with dogs all day and blow some stuff up… Not at all! It is so much more than that.” Not long after accepting her new canine unit assignment, Sergeant Burroughs quickly realized that working in the division of her dreams requires much more. The most challenging part is managing the unit’s $18,000 per year budget which must cover all the care and support needed for the dogs every year, including vet bills, food, repairs, leashes and kennel supplies for all 11 dogs.
Like many canine units across the country, donations from the community are a tremendous help to the program. As an example, Hanover High School student Cameron Boxley built and donated an obstacle course to the Canine Unit for his Eagle Scout project. Because of generous donations and support from community members like Cameron, the unit can continue to focus its attention to crime-solving in the County. 
Last but certainly not least, the Canine Unit has Grace, the unit’s bloodhound who has served the County for several years. Grace is nearing retirement very soon and she will be sorely missed. The bloodhounds and their handlers are the workhorses of the unit. While bloodhounds are not as aggressive as some of the other canines in the unit, they are, in fact, extremely effective. They are often used for community programs and engagement and their uncanny ability to differentiate scent with the smallest scent article, for 30 days, in rain or snow, makes them essential to the department. The bloodhound’s sense of smell is strong enough to use the scent from a single shell casing to successfully track a suspect. The Canine Unit’s newest bloodhound is Daisy. She is “all ears and feet” right now. Daisy was a gift to the Police Division from a breeder and she is currently training and should be fully certified by December.
