Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation Public Safety & Law Enforcement
United States
Scott A. Vantrease, Chief - Public Safety & Law Enforcement
Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation
Chief Vantrease has served with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation since April 2021 overseeing a team of approximately 100 sworn law enforcement personnel protecting the employees, guests (almost 8 million annually), and resources of DCR’s state parks and natural heritage areas.
Chief Vantrease has over 30 years in law enforcement, including experience with sensitive and complex criminal, civil, and administrative investigations, and law enforcement operations. He started as a Law Enforcement Explorer and began his sworn law enforcement career in 1989 as a Deputy with the Oakland County Sheriff's Department (Michigan). He continued his career serving as a Police Officer and Evidence Technician with the Ypsilanti Police Department (Michigan) until becoming a Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, in 1997. In 2006, he was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge. He held responsibilities coordinating across multiple agencies and led various teams conducting special projects including policy writing, internal affairs, and cybercrime and computer intrusion investigations, and the joint civilian and Department of Defense security efforts during the COVID Pandemic.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University (1992) and a Masters in Criminal Justice from the University of Oklahoma (2020). He has completed various leadership programs, including the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association's Trilogy Program. He is a member of the Executive Board for the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy and has published numerous professional articles. He is a member of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police (VACP), Parks Law Enforcement Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), where he serves on various policy working groups and as an appointed committee member for the Computer Crimes and Digital Evidence Committee.