Assistant Commissioner

Novelle E. Francis, Jr., selected to pursue his life long fascination with Law Enforcement by joining the Virgin Islands Police Department Academy on May 26, 1987.

On February 21, 2007, Commissioner Francis assumed the role of Assistant Commissioner of Police, for the Virgin Islands Police Department through an appointment by Honorable Governor John P. deJongh. Commissioner Francis holds the second highest seat of leadership within the Virgin Islands Police Department.

Commissioner Francis began his law enforcement career with the Virgin Islands Police Department as a Police Officer assigned to the Patrol Division in 1987. After serving in that capacity for eighteen months, Commissioner Francis was reassigned to the Criminal Investigations Bureau as a Police Detective. Following four years of service as a Detective, in 1992, Commissioner Francis was named Supervisor and subsequently Commander of the Youth Investigations Bureau. He also served as Supervisor of Detectives for the Criminal Investigations Bureau and Executive Security for then Governor Alexander A. Farrelly and Lt. Governor, Derek Hodge. Upon completion of his four year assignment with the Executive Security Bureau, Commissioner Francis was selected as Special Assistant to Commissioner Ramon S. Davila in June 1997. Soon thereafter, in July 1997, Commissioner Francis was selected to serve as the Acting Deputy Chief of Police for the St. Croix District upon the retirement of Chief Elton Lewis. In rising to the rank of Acting Deputy Chief, Commissioner Francis subsequently served as Acting Chief of Police for the St. Croix District, Deputy Chief of Police for the St. Croix District, and Territorial Chief of Police for the Virgin Islands Police Department, respectively. Following a change in administration, in February 2007, Commissioner Francis was selected as the second highest ranking Officer for the Virgin Islands Police Department.

In his role as Assistant Commissioner of Police, Commissioner Francis serves as the Acting Commissioner in the absence of the Police Commissioner and is responsible daily for the operational control of Internal Affairs/Inspectional Services/Insular Investigation Bureau, Firearms, Training, Public Relations and the consolidated Bureaus of Planning, Research, Records & Statistics. He has direct oversight of the administrative functions of the Department and is primarily responsible for the Supervision of the Executive Level. Throughout his twenty years of service, Commissioner Francis has been involved in all facets of police work and served in all ranks possible excluding two. He is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), 100 Black Men of the Virgin Islands, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (ICAP) and Generation Now. Commissioner Francis is a recipient of the Honorable Service Award, the Exceptional Service Award, the Combat Cross and a two time recipient of the Morale Booster Pins.