Roanoke, VA, April 23, 2015 – The members of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute have unanimously elected Westmoreland County Sheriff C. O. Balderson to serve a one-year term as president of the Institute.
“It is a honor and a privilege to serve the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute in this capacity,” said Sheriff Balderson. “I am also humbled to have been elected by the sheriffs of the Commonwealth to lead the Institute as we move forward.”
Sheriff Balderson is a lifelong resident of Westmoreland County. In 1985, hegraduated from Washington and Lee High School and in 1989 graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice and Public Safety. In 1992, Balderson joined the Virginia Department of Forestry as a Chief Forest Warden.
In September 1996, he was employed as a trooper with the Virginia State Police until elected as Westmoreland County Sheriff in November 2007. He is currently serving his second term. In August 2010, he graduated from the 28th Session of the Rural Executive Management Institute, University of Arkansas System, Criminal Justice Institute. Balderson serves on the Training Committee with the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy and with the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute Board of Directors.
Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office attained accreditation through the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission on May 25, 2006 with reaccreditation on June 03, 2010 and July 23, 2014.
The Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by Virginia sheriffs to provide training and education to the members of the Institute, including sheriffs and deputy sheriffs across Virginia, on issues relating to management, crime prevention, and other areas of public safety. The Institute also awards scholarships to young people across Virginia seeking an education in criminal justice while attending Virginia’s colleges or universities.
The annual Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute spring conference held in Roanoke, VA was attended by more than 200 sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and special guests from across Virginia. Also represented at the conference, were approximately 75 professional exhibitors displaying the latest crime-fighting equipment.