Chris Brown will remove graffiti, pick up trash in Richmond

In this Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 picture, Chris Brown stands before the judge during his sentencing for assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna, at Los Angeles County Superior Court in Los Angeles.

By: Media General News Service | Lynchburg News and Advance
Published: September 03, 2009

Letter From Chief Bryan T. Norwood (PDF)

Richmond's police chief says his department is prepared to put Chris Brown to work performing manual labor such as graffiti removal and picking up trash as part of a sentence imposed by a California judge.

The manual tasks were listed in a letter written by Richmond Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg, who sentenced Brown in the beating of his ex-girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna.

The letter is dated Aug. 24, but Norwood released it to the public yesterday.

"It is my understanding that the court desires the imposed community service to be labor-intensive," Norwood wrote. "Along those lines, we are prepared to put Mr. Brown to work in the community performing manual-labor tasks, such as graffiti removal, trash pickup, washing cars, cleaning, maintaining grounds, etc."

The letter says the activities would be performed "in the community" -- it doesn't say exactly where -- under Norwood's supervision and those under his command.

It further states that the R&B singer will be responsible for paying any costs associated with his punishment, including "adequate security from the public [in the event they become aware of his presence] and one-on-one supervision where special projects are instituted."

Documentation of his days and hours worked will be maintained in the Richmond Police Department's files, the letter says. Norwood also offers to provide progress reports to the court.

In a news release yesterday, Norwood said he will provide no further details about Brown's work responsibilities. "The letter speaks for itself," the chief said.

Schnegg sentenced Brown to five years of probation and six months of community labor in Virginia after he pleaded guilty to felony assault on Rihanna in the Feb. 8 incident. He was accused of hitting, choking and biting her.

Schnegg ordered Brown to stay away from Rihanna for the next five years and to undergo a year of domestic-violence counseling.

The Tappahannock native will undergo 52 hours of such counseling with Commonwealth Catholic Charities in Richmond.