It has been my honor to serve you as the Commonwealth’s Attorney of Loudoun County for the past eight years. During that time we have made great strides in making our community a safer place for our families. As a husband and a father of three children, I know there are fewer things more important.
Prior to taking office in January 2004, Loudoun County prosecutors dropped more felony cases, plea bargained more felony cases and tried fewer cases than most jurisdictions in the state. Plea deals, with assured sentences for criminal defendants were routine. The Office was inefficiently managed and the relationship with the law enforcement community was in turmoil.
Today, all of that has changed.
Cases brought before the Circuit Court are often presented to juries, the people of our community, to have their voice on crime heard. Guaranteed results for all criminals are a past practice.
Since I was elected, the Office has been completely restructured, resulting in the elimination of unnecessary positions and wasteful practices. The experience level and the training of the prosecutors that fight for you has hit an all time high. In 2003, the attorneys in the office had a mere 61 years of prosecution experience; today that number is in excess of 150. It is primarily due to this effort that we have seen such success holding offenders accountable for their crimes.
Several initiatives have been established to better address gang crimes, domestic violence, child abuse, crimes against the elderly and support for local businesses. I am proud that we have accomplished all of these goals together while at the same time, having reduced the office operating budget by 12%. We have cooperated with other agencies to generate new sources of revenue to support our County. In these tough financial times, responsible spending and creative ideas for new revenue cannot simply be overlooked.
We have come a long way in just eight years, but there is always more work to be done. I would be grateful to have your support this November and honored to continue to serve the people of our community. Together, and with your help, we can continue to make Loudoun County among the safest places to live in Virginia.
