VIPD said it met compliance requirements under federal consent decree

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. announced on Feb. 27, 2026, that the Virgin Islands Police Department had established compliance with the federal consent decree put in place after the U.S. Department of Justice sued in 2008 and the District Court entered the agreement in 2009.

According to Government House, the court-supervised agreement required the department to strengthen standards for use of force, supervision, investigations, public complaint intake and resolution, risk management, and accountability. The administration said compliance reflected verified performance over time and showed the policies were being carried out through daily operations, documentation, supervisory review and internal accountability systems.

Police Commissioner Mario Brooks said the milestone reflected years of work by officers, supervisors and civilian staff to strengthen internal practices.

Government House said the decree also required clearer use-of-force policies, stronger supervisory review, improved investigative quality control and a process for identifying patterns that could require training, counseling, closer supervision or discipline. It said the agreement also required an accessible citizen complaint process with standards for intake, tracking, investigation and outcomes.

In the announcement, Bryan also cited other agencies' progress under federal oversight, including the Virgin Islands Department of Labor's workplace safety division and the Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Planning Commission. He also pointed to continued court-supervised progress at the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections, including termination of medical-care provisions in the John A. Bell facility settlement agreement while other requirements remained in place.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/vipd-establishes-compliance-with-federal-consent-decree-marking-historic-policing-milestone/