Colonel Eric D. English
Henrico County Chief of Police
Chief of Police, Eric D. English, holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology from the University of Richmond and a master’s degree in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.
On September 14, 2020, English was sworn in as Henrico County’s Chief of Police. Prior to joining the Division, he served with the City of Richmond Police Department from 1989 to 2018, rising through the ranks to become Deputy Chief of Operations in 2011 and Deputy Chief of Support and Business Services in 2016. In September 2018, he was named Chief of Police of the Harrisonburg Police Department, located in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Chief English is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University and is a certified law enforcement instructor. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police; and is president of the Central Virginia chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
A sports enthusiast, he played basketball for the University of Richmond and was a member of the Spiders’ Sweet Sixteen team of 1988. He went on to coach and officiate youth basketball in the community for many years. Chief English has been a Henrico County resident for more than 30-years. He and his wife have two adult children and are the proud grandparents of two grandchildren.
