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Republican Candidate for Governor Glenn Youngkin Addresses Virginia Police Chiefs
Glenn Youngkin, Republican candidate for Governor of Virginia, addressed the 96th VACP Annual Conference on August 24 in Williamsburg.
Mr. Youngkin said he does not support the elimination of qualified immunity for law enforcement. He noted that qualified immunity protects officers from being “defunded” when they are personally sued for non-criminal behavior.
Mr. Youngkin stated that his administration would advocate for law enforcement and would be a strong supporter of law enforcement agency accreditation.
The dysfunction of the mental health system was emphasized as a priority concern of the law enforcement community. Mr. Youngkin agreed to meet with a group of law enforcement, mental health providers, hospitals and the faith community to further discuss a plan to make critical fixes to the system. He said he wanted to bring the key stakeholders together and work on a plan that did not delay action with overly lengthy study committees.
He indicated that he did not support the concept of civilian review boards that stepped too far into officer disciplinary investigations and preferred a model that uses law enforcement professionals to do independent reviews of serious officer disciplinary matters.
The Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police also held a planned meeting with Democratic candidate for Governor Terry McAuliffe. While the Association does not endorse political candidates, these meetings create an opportunity for law enforcement executives to gauge the positions of the gubernatorial candidates on public safety.
Contact:
Dana Schrad, VACP Executive Director
dana@vachiefs.org
Mobile: 804-338-9512