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Newport News Police Department
C. Department personnel shall ensure that all records (applicable to their assignment) are retained for at
least the minimum time span outlined in the Records and Retention Schedule of the Commonwealth of
Virginia's Library of Virginia before being submitted for destruction. [31.4.6; 35.1.5, 41.3.8]
NOTE: Upon request, the City and Commonwealth Attorneys may provide guidance regarding
historically significant documents and time frames for administrative usefulness. Such
guidance will be documented and maintained until new guidance is obtained.
D. Records Protection and Recovery During/After Emergencies
1. Natural disasters (hurricanes/tornadoes) and unforeseen emergencies, such as fire and broken
water lines, pose the most significant risk to record preservation. Major facility compromises will be
handled according to the Continuity of Operations Plan.
2. All personnel will take care to ensure records are reasonably safeguarded from destruction.
a. Commanders will know the location of all computer equipment and record storage areas under
their command.
b. At the beginning of the Hurricane season, commanders will survey their areas and ensure
adequate protective plastic sheeting and duct tape are on hand to cover all computer equipment
and records storage areas under their command. Request additional items to replenish depleted
stocks if necessary.
c. When storm warnings are announced in advance, commanders will ensure that all computer
equipment is moved away from windows or out of known leak areas. Reasonable measures to
protect hard copies and electronic records will be taken.
3. Commanders will survey their area of responsibility to ascertain if any damage was done to computer
equipment or stored records following any event where such damage is likely (power surges,
flooding, fire, etc.). They will make the necessary notifications to implement the Continuity of
Operations Plan if damage is found.
a. Under no circumstances will damaged or water-soaked computer equipment be turned on or
operated.
b. Water or fire-damaged paper records, recordings, microfilms, or other similar items will be left
intact until the records manager has conducted an assessment.
c. The records manager and COOP Team will coordinate all removal, salvage, and recovery efforts
for all damaged records regardless of type or location.
4. If salvage efforts are necessary, immediate removal of records and computer equipment may be
required.
a. Records will be moved to a secure location for assessment.
b. Salvage efforts may vary depending on the type of damage and records involved. In some cases,
an outside vendor may be hired to complete the salvage/recovery.
E. After the recovery process is completed, the records manager or designee will submit a written report
identifying unrecoverable documents. The report should include the location of the stored documents
and the unrecovered documents with relevant dates. The report will also note the amount of unknown
documents that were lost with as much of a description as possible.
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