Media Release

For further information contact:

Sarah Jane Phillips
216-536-8395 / Sarah.Phillips5@va.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 18, 2018

Two Local VA Police Officers Receive National Recognition

The VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement named Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare
System’s Chief Todd Mitchell VA Police Chief of the Year and Lt. Justin J. Ricker Lead Police
Officer of the Year.

Mitchell and Ricker were recognized at the 8th Annual VA Chiefs of Police Award Banquet in
Little Rock, Arkansas in May 2018.

Chief Mitchell, an Aurora native, started his career with the VA in 2004 and was promoted to
Chief of Police for the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System in 2013 and Lead Chief for the
Veteran Integrated Services Network, Midwest region in 2017.

In 2017, under Mitchell’s leadership, the Northeast Ohio VA area of operation saw a 35%
reduction in criminal activity and 67% drop in serious offenses. Looking forward Mitchell is
working in conjunction with the Veteran Suicide Prevention and Opioid Abuse Work Group to
provide training to community law enforcement staff and first responders to identify at-risk
Veterans in the community, and getting them in touch with needed resources. This practice
would shift traditional, reactionary law enforcement models to those of prevention, continuing
the decline in volatile incidents.

“We are lucky in Northeast Ohio to have a dedicated police team who continue to put Veterans
first, making an impact on the safety and security of our patients and employees across
Northeast Ohio. We are very proud of Chief Mitchell and Lt. Ricker’s recognition at the national
level and look forward to their continued efforts to maintain a safe, secure and welcoming
environment,” said Susan Fuehrer, director of the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System.

Lt. Ricker, a native of Brunswick, started his career with the VA in March 2009 after serving for
four years in the U.S. Air Force as a security forces officer. “Joining the VA police felt like a
natural progression from military service and allows me to continue to serve fellow Veterans,”
said Ricker.

Ricker currently serves as a VA criminal investigations officer for the Northeast Ohio VA
Healthcare System and is often called to provide hands-on training to the VA’s Federal Law
Enforcement Academy.

An initiative that Ricker is heavily involved in is crisis intervention training with external law
enforcement entities, such as the county sheriffs and city police departments.

When asked about what he believes was the inspiration behind being selected for the Lead
Police Officer of the Year award, Ricker became quite humble. “It was a combination of things.
 Media Release
For further information contact:
Sarah Jane Phillips
216-536-8395 / Sarah.Phillips5@va.gov

I was put in the right places and I have a lot of good people around me that helped foster and
mentor me.”

Police Service at the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System is a robust service that provides a
full spectrum of protective and law enforcement services to the community. Police Service is
headed by the Office of the Chief of Police, who manages and coordinates the operation of four
divisions – Operations, Investigations, Physical Security, and Training. They are responsible for
security operations at the main medical center in Cleveland as well as coordinating support with
local authorities for the VA’s 18 locations of care across Northeast Ohio.

About the Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System

Focusing on treating the whole Veteran through health promotion and disease prevention, the
Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System delivers comprehensive, seamless health care and
social services for Veterans at 18 locations across Northeast Ohio. The Northeast Ohio VA
Healthcare System contributes to the future of medicine through education, training and
research programs. For more information visit www.cleveland.va.gov.

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