RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia State Police has announced their email service will be temporarily unavailable from the night of Wednesday, April 26 through noon on Thursday, April, 2017.
Police said the outage is the result of malware that has impacted the Department’s email network. During the outage, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) and Northrup Grumman will work to identify, contain and eradicate the malware.
“We recognize the vital role email plays in regards to communicating with State Police, and appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as we diligently work to resolve this matter,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “While during this period we are required to communicate with the public through alternative means, our level of service should not otherwise be affected.”
Here’s more from a State Police press release:
“Neither the malware nor the email shutdown will affect the Department’s daily field operations in the relation to traffic enforcement, traffic crash investigations, criminal investigations, vehicle inspections, motor carrier safety, Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN/NCIC), Firearms Transaction Program or criminal/non-criminal background checks.
During this time period, all State Police Headquarters and Area Offices will remain open during normal business hours. Those needing to reach State Police during normal business hours on Thursday, April 27, are asked to contact us by telephone. The main number for the Administrative Headquarters is 804-674-2000. Division and Area Office contact numbers are available on the VSP Website at http://www.vsp.virginia.gov/Office_Locations.shtm.
Those needing to contact the Virginia State Police in an emergency can still reach our Department at any time on a cell phone via #77.
State police will also utilize its Facebook and Twitter pages to provide updates.”
The malware has impacted the Department’s ability to actively update the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Children Registry (SOR) website. As new information becomes available, records management and investigative updates related to the SOR are being done offline. As soon as the work stations assigned to the SOR are clear of any issues, the SOR will be immediately updated for the safety and welfare of the public. The public can still safely access the SOR via the State Police Website at http://www.vsp.virginia.gov.
The malware has not affected the abilities of the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Investigative Unit from fulfilling its state-mandated duties of conducting on-site residential and work address verifications. Nor does it have any impact on convicted sex offenders’ responsibilities to provide changes to, updates, register, or re-register with the Virginia State Police, as required by state law.
