Henrico County names new police chief

Major Humberto I. Cardounel will take the reigns of the department on April 15th when Chief Douglas Middleton steps down after 43 years of service.

April 6, 2016; 12:22 PM • by Trevor Dickerson

The Henrico County Police Department will have a new police chief effective April 15th. Major Humberto (Hum) I. Cardounel, will take over for Chief Douglas Middleton, who plans to transition into a new role as Manager for Public Safety after serving in his current role for more than 43 years. The county announced Humberto’s new role at a media event Tuesday morning the the Henrico Public Safety Building.

The department didn’t have to look far for its new boss–Humberto was promoted from within. Cardounel first joined the Henrico County Police Division on October 3, 1988. He has been promoted through the ranks of the department over the years, where he currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Police of the Investigative Bureau, a role he’s served in since 2013. Cardounel previously served in Patrol, Special Operations, Criminal Investigations, Organized Crime, Police Personnel, Police Training Academy, Media Relations, Internal Affairs, and both the SWAT Team and the Negotiations Team for the county.

Incoming Chief Cardounel is a graduate of Henrico County’s Douglas Southall Freeman High School. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond and a Master degree of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is also a graduate of the 221st Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy; the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University; the Police Executive Leadership School of the Jepson School of Leadership at the University of Richmond; the Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation Institute for Leadership in Changing Times at Virginia Tech; and the Leading, Educating and Developing Program of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.

In 2010, Governor Robert F. McDonnell appointed Chief Cardounel to serve as a member of the State Child Fatality Review Team and is currently serving a second term as the team’s law enforcement representative. In 2016, Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed him to serve on the state’s Charitable Gaming Board which serves as an advisory board to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on charitable gaming in Virginia.

Chief Cardounel is a member of Leadership Metro Richmond and the West Richmond Rotary Club. He is also an Assessor and Team Leader for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Prior to joining the Henrico County Police Division, Chief Cardounel was a member of the Tuckahoe Volunteer Rescue Squad where he served as an Emergency Medical Technician and Cardiac Technician.

Photo: County of Henrico