Public Safety Specialist Gary Dillon began his career at VRSA in 2017 as a law enforcement specialist working closely with police agencies to provide consulting and assistance in mitigating losses.
Dillon came to us from the Warrenton Police Department where he served as deputy chief of police. Previously, he worked in policing with the Town of Orange, the West Point Police Department, the City of Charlottesville, and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).
Dillon spends his free time as a chief of the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department. Through this experience, he expanded his work to include consulting for both fire departments and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies.
“As public safety agencies are tasked with more responsibilities, I am excited to assist them with ways to reduce risk to their employees, and on developing programs to better support their mission,” said Dillon.
Public Safety services provided include one-on-one consultation and technical assistance, on-site risk assessment reviews, liability and Below 100 training, policy review, sample policies and procedures, and more.
Members purchasing law enforcement liability coverage also have access to free, unlimited training through the VRSA Public Safety Academy.
In 2022, Dillon coordinated a partnership with Fire Rescue Fitness to provide a complete workout program with a calendar, exercises, video links, and coaching specifically designed for fire and EMS personnel.
Last year, Dillon launched the In The Line of Fire with Gary Dillon podcast, featuring interviews with individuals in the public safety field or public safety topics. Dillon has interviewed retired Secret Service Agent Allan Dillon (his father), as well as retired FBI Agent John Flood. He has also dedicated several episodes to Retired West Point Police Chief Bobby Mawyer’s investigation into the disappearance of Elsie Mae Roane. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Google, and many other podcasting platforms.
Also in 2023, Dillon began a series titled High-Risk Critical Tasks, developed for law enforcement to use in reviewing policies each month. Topics included the use of force, officer-involved domestic violence, special operations, internal affairs and complaints, and more.
He’s following up this series in 2023 with Roll-Call Matters, which will provide a brief review of topics and scenarios that can be presented quickly during roll-call. The first topic, First Amendment Audits, was released last week.
When he’s not podcasting, reviewing policies and procedures, developing training, or presenting throughout the Commonwealth, you can find him assisting members in obtaining their accreditation through the DCJS. He’s assisted the Town of Berryville with receiving their accreditation in 2022.
Public Safety services are just one way VRSA protects and supports those who protect and care for our communities.