Endorsement: Virginia's Law Enforcement Leaders
Citing Mark Warner’s record of support during the state's budget crunch and his bipartisan leadership during natural disasters and public safety crises, six of Virginia’s best-known law enforcement officials endorsed Governor Warner’s bid for the U.S. Senate.
At a press conference at the State Capital in Richmond, Governor Warner announced endorsements from a bipartisan group of veteran public safety leaders with a combined 186 years of law enforcement experience, including:
· Col. Gerald Massengill,
a former Superintendent of Virginia State Police and chairman of the Virginia
Tech Review Panel;
· Sheriff Robert McCabe of Norfolk, president
of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association;
· Chief Mark Marshall of
Smithfield and a vice president of the International Association of Chiefs
of Police;
· Chief Garth Wheeler, the chief of police at J.
Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond and a former four-time president
of the Fraternal Order of Police.
He also received the endorsements of Sheriff Paul Lanteigne and Sheriff Gabe Morgan. Watch their endorsements here:
As
governor, Mark Warner made sure to prioritize the state's scarce budget resources
to meet our basic responsibility to ensure public safety. His tax reform initiative
allowed the state to help fund salaries for local police departments and sheriff's
deputies, and his support gave the Virginia State Police the ability to recruit
and train 439 new state troopers during his four years in office.
After 9/11, Governor Warner was the first governor in the nation to appoint a cabinet-level state official dedicated to homeland security and convened a task force that offered 150 recommendations to improve the state's homeland security. He also helped improve first responder capabilities by significant investments in the Statewide Agencies Radio System (STARS).
He also initiated a statewide AMBER Alert System and was named by the National Council Against Drunk Driving as the nation's "Unsung Hero" for his push for tougher anti-drunk driving laws. He is also credited with making it more difficult for meth manufactures to misuse over-the-counter decongestants.
Click here to view the press release.