Former Buena Vista Police Chief Given “True Blue” Award
September 2, 2010 | Virginia News
The former police chief, AJ Panebianco, was honored by the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Police Benevolent Association for ethics and honor
LYNCHBURG, Va. — A man of ethics and honor. That's how Buena Vista's former police chief is being described by some of his peers in the law enforcement community. "It's humbling to have your peers recognize what you have stood for all these years," said former Buena Vista Police Chief A. J. Panebianco. The Blue Ridge Chapter of the Police Benevolent Association awarded the former chief the True Blue award at a ceremony Wednesday evening in Lynchburg. "It's nice to bring attention when somebody stands up for what they believe in, what they are sworn to uphold and makes a tough decision," said PBA president Doug Childress. Despite not knowing the exact details themselves, members of the PBA decided to create the True Blue award to bring attention to some of the tough sacrifices officers are sometimes asked to make. "Sometimes the decisions that we make to be true to the badge and the code cost us personally, as it did in his case," said Childress. Panebianco has never commented specifically on the reasons for his controversial resignation from the police department in July. He's only said that he'd been asked to violate the trust of victims on repeated occasions by an elected official. As for why he remains silent, Panebianco's answer is simple. "I just don't believe I am that type of person. I don't like to throw rocks," he said. Panebianco says he has put the events in Buena Vista behind him. He is now working as a consultant and interim police chief in the town of Warsaw in Virginia's Northern Neck. Copyright © 2010, WDBJ7-TV
