The members of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association unanimously elected Sheriff Richard A. Vaughan of Grayson County yesterday to serve a one-year term as president of the Association, an 8,900 member organization representing Virginia’s sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and sheriff’s office personnel.
With a career in law enforcement spanning 21 years, Sheriff Vaughan is Grayson County’s first Independent Sheriff. “I am honored to serve as President of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and look forward to working with our members, the Governor, and the General Assembly to make sure public safety takes center stage in state budget negotiations,” said Sheriff Vaughan.
Sheriff Vaughan began his career in law enforcement as a Conservation Officer with New River Trail State Park in 1994. In 1997, he accepted a position as a Patrol Deputy for the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office. After just two years, he was promoted to Investigations, where he was involved in a number of high-profile cases. Vaughan was promoted to Sergeant of Investigations and was in charge of all major crime scenes. In 2005, Sheriff Vaughan graduated from the Virginia Department of Forensic Science Academy in Richmond.
Senator Bill Carrico was on hand at the conference today to swear in the members of the 2015-16 VSA Board of Directors, including:
- Sheriff Richard A. Vaughan, Grayson County – President
- Sheriff Arthur Townsend Jr., Lunenburg County – Immediate Past President
- Sheriff Beth Arthur, Arlington County – Past President
- Sheriff Thomas D. Jones, Charlotte County – Past President
- Sheriff Steve M. Draper, City of Martinsville – Past President
- Sheriff Brian K. Roberts, Brunswick County – First Vice President
- Sheriff Gabe A. Morgan, City of Newport News – Second Vice President
- Sheriff Vanessa R. Crawford, City of Petersburg – Secretary
- Sheriff Steve F. Dempsey, King George County – Treasurer
- Sheriff Steven L. Dye, Russell County – Region I
- Sheriff W.Q. “Bill” Overton Jr., Franklin County – Region II
- Sheriff Christopher J. Blalock, Rockbridge County – Region III
- Sheriff W.G. “Billy” Kidd Jr., Buckingham County – Region IV
- Sheriff John B. Thomas, Page County – Region V
- Sheriff Stacey A. Kincaid, Fairfax County – Region VI
- Sheriff Darrell W. Warren Jr., Gloucester County – Region VII
- Sheriff Todd B. Wilson, City of Colonial Heights – Region VIII
- Sheriff R.W. Hawkins Jr., Mecklenburg County – Region IX
- Sheriff David L. Doughty Jr., Northampton County – Region X
“I want to thank the new officers and the entire Board of Directors for taking on an important leadership role and for helping advance the goals of our 8,900 member association,” said Sheriff Vaughan.
Approximately 400 sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and special guests from across Virginia attended the three-day 82nd annual conference in Norfolk.
The Virginia Sheriffs’ Association is the professional trade association representing the interests of law enforcement and sheriffs’ offices in Virginia. It is the primary voice for Virginia sheriffs in the General Assembly on all matters relating to public safety.