President George W. Bush stopped to take a photo with sheriffs before the VSA board of directors meeting last week. Bath County Sheriff Robert Plecker invited the board to The Omni Homestead Resort. Pictured are (left to right): Jacob Vaughan (Grayson County Sheriff Richard Vaughan’s son), Sheriff Brian Roberts (Brunswick County), President George W. Bush, Sheriff…
Richmond, VA – The Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute (VSI) is pleased to announce the awarding of 102 scholarships to young people across Virginia pursuing a college degree in criminal justice while attending a Virginia college or university. Full-time students were provided $1,000, and part-time students were provided $500. “This year’s scholarship program was a tremendous success…
The Virginia Sheriffs’ Association applauds Governor McAuliffe’s vetoes of HB 1673 and SB 965. These bills would have defined motor vehicle license plate numbers issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia as personal information, meaning that their use by law enforcement agencies in solving crime would have been greatly challenged, if at all possible. Law enforcement…
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…
Roanoke, VA, April 23, 2015 – The members of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute elected new officers for 2015-2016 during the annual conference in Roanoke last week. The following sheriffs were elected to the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute Board of Directors as board members and officers: Board Members: Sheriff James E. Brown, III, City of Charlottesville; Sheriff…
The Virginia Sheriffs’ Association presented Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) with its 2015 Outstanding Legislative Service Award. Stafford County Sheriff Charlie Jett presented Speaker Howell with the award during the 2015 spring conference in Roanoke on Thursday. “I am honored to be recognized by the Sheriffs’ Association and grateful for all…
Virginia sheriffs are asking Governor McAuliffe to veto HB 1673 and SB 965 on data collection passed by the General Assembly that have unintended consequences. “As passed by the General Assembly, these bills are an overreach and inconsistent with what other states have done to insure the protection of their citizens,” said Lunenburg Sheriff Arthur…
Although I’m sure SB965 and HB1673 were well intended, the result is that the change could easily be interpreted to restrict the activities of sheriffs to control their jails. The language in question starts on page 1, line 40 and reads “Unless a criminal or administrative warrant has been issued, law enforcement and regulatory agencies…
RICHMOND – Virginia sheriffs support Governor McAuliffe’s amendments to bills that, as passed by the General Assembly, have unintended consequences that will negatively affect domestic violence prevention efforts. SB 965 and HB 1673 were originally known as license plate reader (LPR) bills. However, the bills passed by the General Assembly greatly expanded the definitions and…
April 8, 2015 Op-Ed from The Richmond Times-Dispatch: A federal fugitive recently abducted his two children from their mother’s home in the Northeast and headed south for Mexico on I-95. A License Plate Reader (LPR) captured the fugitive’s license plate information as he drove through Maryland. That state recently passed legislation allowing law enforcement to…
Governor McAuliffe has signed an executive order that mandates immediate re-training for all Virginia ABC agents, according to a news release. The executive order states that all ABC agents must undergo immediate re-training, no later than Sept. 1. This comes after UVA student Martese Johnson was bloodied during an arrest by ABC agents last week.…
Richmond, VA — Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown joined the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) and the Safe Surfin’ Foundation (SSF) to announce the release of cyberbullying training for parents and educators. “One in four teens has experienced cyberbullying, according to the latest research, and one in six teens admits to cyberbullying others,” said…