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Democratic Candidate for Governor Terry McAuliffe Addresses Virginia Police Chiefs
The Honorable Terry McAuliffe, Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia, addressed the 96th VACP Annual Conference on August 24 in Williamsburg.
On this issue of qualified immunity, Governor McAuliffe said that officers who are doing their duty and acting in good faith will continue to have full protections. Officers who violate the law will not, which is why it's called qualified immunity.
Governor McAuliffe 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. Campaign staff for Governor McAuliffe has reached out to the VACP to schedule a meeting 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 talked about several of the areas of concern, such as the lack of psychiatric beds, the lack of community based mental crisis stability centers, the struggle to hire and retain qualified mental health personnel, and the need to eliminate the long waits for law enforcement in hospital emergency rooms on mental health commitment orders.
The Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police also held a planned meeting with Republican candidate for Mr. Glenn Youngkin. 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
