This month, we are proud to feature Mathews County Sheriff April Edwards in our Virginia Sheriffs Spotlight. A lifelong resident of Mathews County, Sheriff Edwards stepped into her role in January 2024 with a strong commitment to integrity, public safety, and community connection. With a background in Criminal Justice and Business Administration, she brings a knowledgeable and forward-thinking approach to leadership. In her first year, she has made officer safety a top priority, worked to strengthen youth engagement, and emphasized transparency and accountability within her office. Sheriff Edwards exemplifies the values upheld by the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and serves as an inspiration to sheriffs across the Commonwealth.
- What motivated you to run for the office of Mathews County Sheriff, and how does your educational background in Criminal Justice and Business Administration influence your leadership?
What a TOUGH decision this was to make!! I guess the decision was ultimately made to run for Sheriff once former Sheriff Mark Barrick decided he was going to retire. Barrick had hinted to me for a number of years that I would be the next sheriff, and I would just laugh at him. It wasn’t an easy decision because it takes a lot of time and dedication for any elected position. I ultimately decided to do it because I care about the community of Mathews County, and I knew in my heart I would only make decisions that benefited the county as a whole. The position of Sheriff requires strength, determination, and a Sheriff must be willing to adapt as technology, laws and resources change. I knew in my heart that I could fill that role.
My educational background in Criminal Justice and Business Administration has provided an excellent foundation to prepare me for the role of Sheriff. Not only did my education help develop my interest in the criminal justice system; it also taught me how to communicate effectively, how to plan and operate a budget, the laws circling behind human resources management, and most importantly education has taught me how to conduct research especially in those areas where I am not as knowledgeable. The research then allows me to develop a plan that is attainable for tackling those complex areas.
- Can you share how your experiences as a patrol deputy and in investigations have shaped your approach to leading the sheriff’s office?
I spent 6 years in patrol, 2 in our schools as an SRO and 7 years handling investigations working major crimes. All of these roles were critical in serving our community. In each of these areas, a sheriff must have a strong team in investigations, a strong relationship with our youth and most of this begins at the patrol level because patrol deputies are the face of the office since they are out on the streets. Our youth are our future, and they deserve to be protected at all costs. The safety of a community is essential, and this involves keeping violent crime down, tackling the drug crisis head-on, and ensuring our roadways are safe with proactive traffic enforcement.
I know firsthand where staffing and resources have previously been limited. My focus in leading the sheriff’s office is sowing into each and every employee in our office to develop them to their fullest potential. This could be in the form of training, education, specializations, and any other professional development. All our deputies and dispatchers have to do is express a strong interest in fulfilling a goal and this ignites a flame under me, and I will make every effort to bring it to fruition.
- Since taking office last January, what has been your top priority, and what initial steps have you taken to address it?
My top priority was – and still is – officer safety. When I took office, we still had one deputy patrolling our county at night. I went to our County’s Board of Supervisors in January of 2024 and was approved for funding to bring in two additional deputies to ensure deputies are not on the road at night alone without backup.
Adding the two positions helped, but we still run into hardships when a deputy is sick, on vacation, or if we have a vacancy. We still need more deputy positions to help eliminate this shortfall, but it will only happen if there are changes made to the comp board’s funding allocation for rural counties since our county lacks the resources to provide additional staffing.
- You developed various programs while serving as a School Resource Officer. How do you plan to continue fostering youth engagement and education now that you are sheriff?
Youth engagement and any programs to benefit our youth are a primary focus of the sheriff’s office. I am currently seeking funding for an additional School Resource Officer as we only have one SRO shared amongst our three schools. It was not advantageous for us to utilize the state grant because our composite index was higher considering we have a lot of summer homes within our county. We have been exploring other funding options out there to ensure we can bring more programs and educational opportunities to our schools.
We are also currently working on a Junior Explorers’ program to help facilitate a love for the criminal justice system in our youth today. We hope to include the Explorers on ride-along programs, allowing them to sit in court to observe proceedings, and shadow the dispatchers in our 911 center. Sometimes all it takes is to plant a seed in a young mind and it could change the course of their life.
- You have secured significant grant funding for the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office over the last five years. How do you plan to utilize these resources to enhance public safety moving forward?
Small counties with a lower tax base must rely on grant funding to be able to acquire the equipment that other localities with a larger tax base already have. Since February of 2024, I am truly blessed to say we have brought in over a half of a million dollars in funding to better meet the needs of our community. Within the past couple months, we were finally able to implement our new K9 program that has been funded by grant funding as well as from donations from our citizens and through other fundraising opportunities. K9 Karma has already been successful with getting methamphetamines off of our streets and we look forward to many more success stories.
We also secured Flock LPR cameras under a Virginia State Police HEAT grant and the Ceasefire grant. These recent advancements in technology have already proven beneficial with many of our major criminal investigations as well as assisting with drug interdiction.
Lastly, we were finally able to acquire body-worn cameras under an SRT grant. It felt like we were one of the last sheriff’s offices in the area without them. Having the cameras in place has helped to ensure the safety of our citizens and deputies on various calls; it has helped us deal with citizen complaints against deputies and there has been footage helpful for prosecuting cases in court. Having these cameras in place, has been a true Godsend for us.
- What specific strategies do you have in place to combat drug abuse and human trafficking in Mathews County?
We have zero tolerance for drug abuse and human trafficking in Mathews County. Keeping our citizens informed about what to look for regarding human and drug trafficking and the toll these illicit activities takes on our community. Active communication with members of our community and our citizens’ diligent approach to reporting suspicious activity has all proven beneficial in combatting drug and/or human trafficking. Fortunately for us, we have only seen one major human trafficking ring and once that was addressed in federal court it resulted in a life sentence – that case has likely served as a deterrent to others over recent years. As far as drug abuse and drug trafficking, I consider heightened traffic enforcement efforts, in collaboration with our newly formed K9 program, to be a huge asset to addressing illicit drug activity.
- As a lifelong resident of Mathews County, how do you view the relationship between law enforcement and the community, and what steps are you taking to strengthen it?
Mathews County is fortunate enough to have an excellent community that stands behind its sheriff’s office. They stood behind former Sheriff Barrick and supported him during his twelve years of service and since I took office in January, there has been an outpouring of support for our deputies and dispatchers and all of our endeavors we have pursued thus far.
Without the support of our community, witnesses would be reluctant to come forward and share information and we would not be able to solve certain crimes. One of the programs I implemented in the beginning of 2024 was the implementation of a sheriff’s office TIP app that can be downloaded to a smart device to submit anonymous tips and have conversations back and forth with investigators about suspicious activity. This app ensures anonymity as it is handled by an outside entity. This app has been used a number of times and has allowed the public to also send in photos of criminal activity that they witness. Tip submissions have helped us with our criminal investigations especially with drug trafficking since most people are hesitant about coming forward out of fear of retaliation. This TIP app allows them to do something to help keep their neighborhood safe but without compromising their own safety and the safety of their family.
- Transparency and fairness are important values you promote. How do you implement these values in your daily operations as sheriff?
In law enforcement, transparency and fairness are a MUST when we deal with the community. If one does not trust the law enforcement agency that serves their community, this can prove detrimental with getting cases solved and ensuring the overall safety within a community. James Madison is reported as saying “the truth is that all men in power ought to be mistrusted”. I expect the public to be skeptical of law enforcement, however, I give them as many reasons as I possibly can TO trust me and those within my office. Transparency can be easy to promote – just always report the truth even if it hurts. Sometimes the truth can be ugly to report especially if it paints a deputy in a bad light. No matter what, our community will always get the truth even if it results in a lost case or worse. With that being said, it is imperative to hold every employee within the sheriff’s office accountable for their actions and the community inherently learns that they CAN trust you. They trust you to make a wrong – right and they trust you are guided by a set of ethics that are necessary in this profession.
- What do you consider the most pressing issue facing law enforcement today, and how are you addressing it in your role?
The most pressing issues are officer safety, number of deputy positions, and integrity violations. With all of the grant funding we have acquired this year, we have secured equipment and resources to help ensure officer safety such as ballistic blankets, a K9 program, and body worn cameras. Our deputies report that they feel safe out on the streets with the equipment that has been made available to them. Unfortunately, we still do not have the ideal number of deputies out patrolling in our community and this is a hurdle we still face. I will continue to advocate for more positions for smaller localities during my term.
Lastly, the thorn in my side for the past year has been integrity violations with deputies. Somewhere along the way, some deputies have thought it is acceptable to lie to their supervisor or lie about their personal lives without consequence. A lie is a lie no matter what way you look at it and if they lie to me; I have zero use for them on our staff. The standard needs to be set at their hiring of expectations and the consequences for integrity violations. This is one area of the utmost importance within my office. I can help them to fix a mistake. I cannot fix their choice to tell a lie. That is also how you ensure accountability and transparency within your office.
- How are you tackling staffing shortages and high turnover rates within the sheriff’s office?
Staff shortages at the sheriff’s office have been relatively manageable this year. One of the ways we have dealt with the shortage is we have had to pull investigators out of investigations in order to meet the demand on the roadways and out in the community. We have definitely seen a decline in the number of applications submitted for vacant positions when there is a shortage of staff.
In regards to high turnover rates, we have experienced some high turnover this year, but this had to do with integrity violations among staff. I maintain a zero-tolerance policy with being deceptive in law enforcement and this has resulted in a few terminations this year. I would rather be short-handed than compromise the integrity of our sheriff’s office.
I plan to use my position with the VSA to bring attention to critical issues that seem to never attract enough attention. One of my primary goals is to bring attention to the disadvantages our smaller, more rural localities face in comparison to the larger more financially stable cities. For example, if the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office had an adequate number of comp board-funded deputy and dispatcher positions to meet the needs of our community; it would not be such a strain on our small county government. Right now, we are not even given enough positions to provide 24/7 law enforcement coverage and deputies to operate our courts, and the burden falls on our county government to try and offset this need. Everyone wants a safe community but not at the expense of bankrupting our county.
We have had a lot of people show interest in becoming a part-time deputy which is important because part-time deputies help ensure staffing in our courtrooms. However, staffing these positions is next to impossible because I cannot pay someone to attend a full-time academy to be a part-time deputy because of budgetary constraints. I hope to advocate for some alternative academy options for part-time deputies to get them certified for courtroom security.
- What hobbies or interests do you have outside of your role as sheriff, and how do they contribute to your well-being and leadership style?
Mathews County sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Chesapeake Bay. With being almost completely surrounded by water – this has facilitated a love for the water specifically boating, fishing, or just sitting on the beach with a good book. All of this helps to free mind of the everyday stressors that come along with the job of being sheriff. I plan to try out paddleboarding soon so I hope I can add that to my list of hobbies as well. I also love researching and collecting antiques and artwork as well.
- Can you share a personal experience or a mentor who has influenced your approach to law enforcement and community service?
Former Sheriff Mark Barrick and former Major John Williams both sowed into me and taught me how to become a successful investigator. Each of them helped lay the foundation towards my success in the law enforcement career by always challenging me and making me think outside of the box.
My parents instilled morals and values into me at a young age regarding community service. They would attest that I would firmly always stand for what is right even if I was alienated in the process. I have always treated everyone I encounter with the grace, respect and dignity they deserve including those I have arrested. Without having these values, it would be problematic to have and maintain the respect of our community.
- As a member of the Virginia Sheriff’s Association, what do you hope to achieve, and how do you plan to contribute to the association’s goals?
As a Sheriff, it is critical for us to develop our professional skills to their fullest potential. I recently submitted by application for initial certification to the Virginia Sheriff’s Institute for 2025. I plan to capitalize on any and all training that will assist me in providing the best level of service to the citizens of Mathews County. I have also encouraged deputies in my office to also pursue their certification as well. We owe it to our citizens to continue grow as society is ever-changing which means our role is forever changing. We must adapt to laws as they change as well, and this means our law enforcement strategies have to change as well.
- How do you plan to leverage your role in the VSA to advocate for issues that impact Mathews County and its residents?
I plan to use my position with the VSA to bring attention to critical issues that seem to never attract enough attention. One of my primary goals is to bring attention to the disadvantages our smaller, more rural localities face in comparison to the larger more financially stable cities. For example, if the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office had an adequate number of comp board-funded deputy and dispatcher positions to meet the needs of our community; it would not be such a strain on our small county government. Right now, we are not even given enough positions to provide 24/7 law enforcement coverage and deputies to operate our courts, and the burden falls on our county government to try and offset this need. Everyone wants a safe community but not at the expense of bankrupting our county.
- Is there anything else you would like to share with your fellow Virginia sheriffs, deputies and support staff?
The law enforcement profession has been under scrutiny for a number of years due to some bad apples in the bunch. I would encourage other sheriffs and deputies to always do what is right to ensure the reputation of law enforcement isn’t further tarnished. I have seen too many agencies lower their standards by turning a blind eye to deceitfulness and potential Brady violations to either avoid being shorthanded or some other reason. I would rather maintain the reputation of our office, come from behind my desk and work the road myself rather than contributing to the problem with more bad apples. THIS is how we rebuild our professional reputation which will lead to more applicants in the years to come.
