Across Virginia, DMVs will be opening late this week - Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday- for "enhanced employee training."
Virginia DMV spokesperson Jillian Cowherd says the training will include things like how to best react to medical emergencies, severe weather, and even spot signs of human trafficking.
“We don’t take lightly the fact that 4.6 million people came through our service centers, and we want to make sure that while you are with us, you are as safe as you can be for both our employees and our customers," Cowherd told News 3. "As we know, human trafficking is something that is unfortunately happening in the Commonwealth, and we realize we have a massive opportunity to be able to be eyes and ears out for people who are looking for help.”
"I think it’s a great move," said Tiffany McGee, Founder and President of Survivor Ventures which is a non-profit organization that helps those who have been trafficked. "They are at the DMV a lot, paying off those fees and fines, trying to get a new license, trying to move on with their lives."
McGee added that identifying human trafficking is not easy, but she said some signs are: someone not having identification cards, having a third party with them, especially someone who seems to control their actions and financial transactions.
For these trainings, the Virginia DMV customer service centers will be closed in the morning and will reopen at 1 p.m. The closures are happening in staggered shifts, the DMV says.
So for example, here in Hampton Roads, the Norfolk Widgeon DMV is opening late Tuesday, Virginia Beach Hilltop is opening late Wednesday, and the Virginia Beach Buckner location is opening late on Thursday.
A full list of the closures in our area is as follows:
Tuesday, May 7
- Courtland
- Gloucester
- Norfolk Widgeon
- Chesapeake
Wednesday, May 8
- Tappahannock
- Newport News
- Norfolk Military Circle
- Virginia Beach Hilltop
- Suffolk
Thursday, May 9
- Kilmarnock
- Hampton
- Williamsburg
- Virginia Beach Buckner
- Portsmouth
- Onancock
We're told online services will not be impacted.
The DMV says to schedule an appointment to skip the line and ensure your visit won’t be affected.
For a full list of the closures, click here. To make an appointment at a DMV, click here.
