The Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office was recently notified by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police that their agency had placed first in the 2008 Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge.
The Sheriff’s Office was also contacted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and notified that the agency was awarded second place in the National Law Enforcement Challenge in their respective category. The Sheriff’s Office was also honored for their agency being “Rookie of the Year” at the state level.
According to Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman, both the state and national Law Enforcement Challenge Programs promote professionalism in traffic safety enforcement and encourage law enforcement agencies to share best practices and programs with each other. The awards are based on entries prepared by the participating agencies that highlight their traffic safety activities in the past calendar year.
“The Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office began their traffic enforcement program in January 2005,” stated Sheriff Newman. “Since then, our county has seen a reduction in traffic fatalities and an increase in safety belt usage.”
Sheriff’s deputies work off-duty hours for pay to participate in aggressive criminal and traffic enforcement projects, drunk driver sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to curb the problems associated with drunk, reckless or aggressive driving.
“I am extremely proud of our Sheriff’s deputies who enforce criminal and traffic laws in our county on a day-to-day basis,” said Sheriff Newman. “The recognition that our Sheriff’s Office has received, both at the state and national levels, shows the commitment and dedication of our deputies.”
This is the first year the Sheriff’s Office has competed for the awards. First Sergeant Greg Hogston, D/S Erik Hinchey and D/S Tom Chapman coordinated the Law Enforcement Challenge entry.
The Sheriff’s Office was honored on the state level at the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference held in Newport News, Virginia, in early August; and will receive national recognition at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference to be held in early October in Denver, Colorado.