On NOVEMBER 3^rd VOTE for INDEPENDENT Paul Best for Charlottesville Sheriff

Announcement Speech From June 19^th

I want to start by thanking all of you for coming. My name is Paul Best and I am a Detective with the Charlottesville Police Department assigned to the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force. Today I am announcing my candidacy for the Sheriff's position in Charlottesville. I am running for Sheriff because I believe I have a lot to offer the community and look forward to improving the quality of life in Charlottesville. My fifteen years of law enforcement experience- as a Reserve Deputy, Patrol Officer, Investigations Bureau Detective, and J.A.D.E. T/F Narcotics Detective- have given me insight into how to more efficiently and effectively run the sheriff's office, providing more benefits for the City while at the same time saving the city money.

I am running for Sheriff as an independent. I feel this merits some explanation. I believe that the Sheriff's duty, as well as any law enforcement officer's duty, is to the citizens and not to a particular political party. The sheriff's office provides services irrespective of political affiliation, and it seems at odds with the very nature of the office that a Sheriff would claim allegiance to any party.

It has further been my experience that most Republicans and Democrats are more centrist than their parties rhetoric would have us believe. This is important because blind faith to a party and its candidates is a disservice to the spirit of our democracy and to the people in the community. I look to work for the people of Charlottesville and to avoid the divisive party politics. I ask that each of you look at what I will bring to the office of the Sheriff as compared to the other candidate- and not just at party affiliation.

As Sheriff I will make sure that the Sheriff's Office is held accountable by making it an Accredited Agency through the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission.

I will establish a Citizens Review/Advisory Board comprised of members of the Community to assist with and assess any community concerns; to include the conduct of any Sheriff's Office personnel - including myself.

I will implement a Sheriff's Advisory Board within the Sheriff's Office to address any suggestions or concerns originating from Sheriff's Office personnel.

By doing these three things, the Sheriff's Office will build stronger ties with the community through professionalism and agency transparency.

As Sheriff I will ask to personally oversee the security of City Council meetings. This will enable me to stay on top of Community issues while saving the city thousands of dollars in police overtime costs.

As Sheriff I will initiate the Gang Reduction and Intervention Program, better known as "G.R.I.P". G.R.I.P. is a highly successful program which identifies and addresses at risk youth, gang members and the resulting community related issues. G.R.I.P. is formulated from a Comprehensive Gang Model supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and is endorsed by The Virginia Attorney General's Office.

Since G.R.I.P'S inception in our state capitol, Richmond has dropped from being the 5th most dangerous city in America to the 49th. The program is fueled by the collaborative effort of community partners- government agencies, faith based organizations, volunteer groups, and private sector involvement.

The program focuses on implementing anti-gang strategies through program activities- these strategies include prevention, intervention, suppression, and reentry into the community.

As part of my commitment to the community and G.R.I.P., I will ask to remain as a member of the J.A.D.E. T/F in a supplemental capacity. This will allow me to keep abreast of the trends of at risk youth and active gang members.

As Sheriff I will create a Reserve Deputy/Volunteer Program which will help cut costs, increase services and improves productivity to the city.

A Reserve Deputy/Volunteer Program will help strengthen the existing TRIAD program, providing increased welfare checks of the elderly and updates on crimes which affect our seniors.

A Reserve Deputy/Volunteer Program will increase the speed of paper service and secretarial duties. It will provide cost cutting security for special events such as parades, festivals, games, races, and First Night Virginia. It will be a valuable resource for a Search and Rescue Team and to join forces with the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office to help locate missing persons, children, Alzheimer’s patients (Project Life Saver), and escaped prisoners. By combining the Search and Rescue Teams we will provide a greater benefit to our communities. It will also offer the opportunity to explore a community sponsored bloodhound and mounted patrol program.

A Reserve Deputy/Volunteer Program will allow for the increased processing of child identification packets. Will improve transport and court room security. The program would allow the Sheriff's Office to work with our courts on developing a modified work release program for non violent offenders- saving the city thousands of dollars a year while improving the appearance of the city.

Reserve Deputies would provide full time deputies with the time to complete additional training, and provide a collaborative speed enforcement effort with the Charlottesville Police Department. For Example: Rapid Response Training for an active shooter and a Department of Motor Vehicles speed enforcement grant. Finally, a reserve deputy program would provide additional assistance in case of manmade or natural disasters. All this can be accomplished by implementing a Reserve Deputy/Volunteer program at no extra cost.

I have put a lot of time into analyzing the best ways for the Charlottesville Sheriff's Office to be both more accountable to, and more productive for, the community. I ask that people compare the candidates for the position of Sheriff and vote based on each of our merits- because that is the only thing which matters for this office.

Before I finish, I would like to announce that if I am elected Sheriff, I welcome all Sheriff's Office Personnel to remain with the office.

Thank you very much- and remember to vote for Charlottesville's Best Choice on November 3rd.

Click here for a printable version

Contact information

Authorized and Paid for by Friends of Paul Best