Independent institutions that check this jurisdiction's own power — audit, ombudsman, inspector general, civilian review, ethics, and grand-jury bodies established by statute.
The Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts is elected by a joint vote of both houses of the General Assembly to a four-year term. The office is one of the oldest audit agencies in the US and audits...
Read scorecard → 02 AuditThe Corrections Oversight Committee is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative oversight body created under Va. Code §53.1-17.3. It consists of 13 voting members: four legislators (two Senate, two...
Read scorecard → 03 AuditThe Criminal Justice Services Board, administered through DCJS, is Virginia's POST equivalent. It certifies and decertifies all sworn law-enforcement and jail officers statewide. Under 2020...
Read scorecard → 04 OmbudsmanThe Office of the DOC Ombudsman is established within OSIG under Va. Code §53.1-17.2. The Ombudsman is selected by the State Inspector General (with Corrections Oversight Committee co-chairs...
Read scorecard → 05 Inspector GeneralThe Virginia State Inspector General is appointed by the Governor and investigates fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption in executive branch agencies. Reports are submitted to the Governor and...
Read scorecard → 06 Ethics CommissionThe Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council provides advisory opinions and education on the state's conflict of interest and ethics laws. It is primarily advisory rather than...
Read scorecard → 07 Civilian ReviewVa. Code §9.1-601 (effective July 1, 2021) authorizes — but does not require — any Virginia locality to establish a civilian oversight body for its police department. Where established, boards may...
Read scorecard →Virginia's LE oversight rests on several pillars. The Criminal Justice Services Board (DCJS) certifies and decertifies all sworn officers under Va. Code §9.1-102 and §15.2-1707-1708, with mandatory decertification on felony conviction. The Office of the State Inspector General (§2.2-307 et seq.) has executive-branch-wide authority, coordinating with VSP via MOU. The DOC Ombudsman (§53.1-17.2), housed within OSIG, and the Corrections Oversight Committee (§53.1-17.3), a bipartisan legislative body, jointly provide independent prisons oversight with full facility-access rights. Local governing bodies may create civilian oversight boards with binding discipline power under §9.1-601 (2021), but no county-wide board is mandated by state law and sheriff oversight is excluded from the enabling statute.