FBI Norfolk Announces 2013 Recipient of Director’s Community Leadership Award

Special Agent in Charge Royce Curtin of the Norfolk FBI Field Office announced his selection of Mr. Francis “Bud” Warren, Jr. for the 2013-2014 Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for Mr. Warren’s exemplary involvement and dedication in furthering crime prevention and education at the local, state, and national levels.

Mr. Warren began his service in 1947 in the United States Navy, where he served for 20 years in Submarine Force. He then served 22 years in Civil Service for the Department of the Navy, retiring in 1989 as a GM-14 program manager. In 1990, Mr. Warren began his service with Virginia Beach Crime Solvers, a crime-solving organization that provides a means of communication for the public to report crime anonymously.

Mr. Warren has served the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) in several capacities, starting in 1991 when he became the founding chairman of the Fourth Police Precinct’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) in Virginia Beach. In this capacity, he wrote the by-laws and recruited other citizens to become involved in activities and crime prevention efforts. Subsequently, Mr. Warren was instrumental in establishing Project Lifesaver, a national electronic tracking program used to assist in locating missing autistic children and adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Today, the VBPD is one of a few departments in the country to have a partnership with Project Lifesaver. The department has responded to numerous rescues, all 100 percent successful with a recovery time of less than 30 minutes. In 1993, Virginia Beach City Council appointed him to the Virginia Beach Crime Task Force where he and other members made recommendations for improvement to the city’s criminal justice system. One major recommendation was the establishment of the city’s Juvenile Detention Center, which opened its doors in 2004.

Mr. Warren’s success and leadership skills have provided him with the opportunity to assist in forming several tax-exempt, non-profit organizations which include Project Lifesaver, The Virginia Beach Police Foundation, and, most recently, the Norfolk FBI’s Citizens Academy Alumni Association. In these organizations, he actively raises funds to assist the FBI, as well as the VBPD, with crime-prevention efforts, training, and support to families of VBPD personnel injured or killed in the line of duty. In addition to his work with the VBPD and FBI, Mr. Warren has been a member of a local Lions Club for 35 years and served as Lions District Governor for southeastern Virginia in 1989-1990.