Independent candidate for Sheriff, former Sheriff Steve Simpson, has issued a response to candidate for Chairman Charlie King’s call for a Loudoun police department. Simpson issued the following press release,
Simpson Responds to King Campaign Release on Establishing a Loudoun County Police Department
For Immediate Release
September 18, 2015
Contact: Steve Simpson 571-233-0102
“An issue has been raised by at least one candidate for county office suggesting that the Board of Supervisors begin the process of establishing a police department here in Loudoun County. I can’t help but feel this has something to do with the quality of leadership displayed by our current sheriff.
“Though this is not something I would have supported when I served as sheriff, the last four years have caused me to take a second look. While this would not be a cure-all to the political problems we have seen in this last term, it would give our local elected board a greater check and balance against any abuses within our primary law-enforcement agency. Currently, only the people can make any changes and then only every four years. As we have seen, that may be too long to wait.
“Of course, many questions would have to be answered before taking this to referendum, primarily the costs associated with the change. And there would still have to be an elected sheriff, responsible for the jail, the courts and civil process.
“This will no doubt be a topic for the next board to consider. I look forward to working with them on this and many other issues of public safety in Loudoun County.”
17 comments
[…] Steve Simpson, for his part, quickly joined in with what appeared a lot like a tag-team effort against Chapman. […]
Chapman is being investigated by a Special Prosecutor for serious felony charges that could land him in jail for 5-10 years. If that’s the case he would be able to watch the conversion from Sheriff’s Office to Police Department from the other side of the fence LOL.
Simpson was caught conducting a separate business while he was on the Loudoun County payroll…was he not?? Case closed. You would have to be truly stupid to reelect a known cheater. Why isn’t his resume under active investigation?
Is it illegal for people who work for the county to have an business? I’ve not heard that before. Are all county employees forbidden from having any other jobs or businesses? I know a deputy sheriff who sells eggs and tomatoes. Could he be in trouble? Is he ‘cheating’?
It’s called theft of services if done on county time and using county equipment. A thorough investigation is needed to determine the facts.
Oh, so the case isn’t closed. Wasn’t this all investigated when Simpson ran in 2011? I seriously doubt he used county water to make his golf water and there is ZERO evidence that he did it on county time. Investigating it again would really be a waste of county resources.
unfortunately, this would seem to be a tag team operation between the CA candidate, and a former Sheriff with whom he was more comfortable. Changing to a PD without modernizing our form of county government is asking for MORE politicization of law enforcement, not less.
Having a police chief appointed by the Board, and only answerable to the board as an at-will employee? Welcome to the real good ole boys network, depending on which swing of the pendulum happened to be in power at the moment.
The same people pulled the same stunts before the convention, and LOST with them, all the while crowing about the sure thing of defeating Chapman. Didn’t happen.
All this continued crap is doing is starting to spill over into other races, and there is no guarantee it will actually help any of those races–it may just hurt overall because there are a lot more people in the county, and a good chunk of them don’t like juvenile poo throwing campaigns.
Jim Plowman is very lucky that his opponent is such a maroon–the county will NOT be so lucky if this continues to escalate and it starts to blow back on the primary hopeful beneficiary (for personal reasons?) of this continued internecine attack on the Sheriff’s candidate. I do NOT want Bob O for CA, but if this **** keeps up I’m going to have a very hard time filling in an oval for Plowman, and that absolutely infuriates me.
IOW, maybe it’s time for you ***holes to grow up and knock it off–you lost at the convention with tactics like these (and worse), so don’t screw up the General with more of the same.
(Kay Cool, pledges are for little people, didn’t you know?)
Now for that dose of reality. C ghost apman won by FIVE physical votes out of 870 cast.
But he still won. You lost. Get over it.
Half of the Republicans voted for someone else.
See above.
Dean, does not change the fact that until we update our form of county government, a PD is a recipe for MORE politicized law enforcement, not less.
How is pushing a platform that lost at convention, and promoted by Dems, a winner?
Noble could have lost by ONE vote, weighted or otherwise, and the end result is a loss.
He’s moved on, in not only refusing to be sucked into Allman’s campaign (which is based on this feel-good “quick fix” of a magical PD), but by taking a good job in another jursidiction.
It’s time for his champions to do the same, including the CA candidate.
I really don’t understand this… Jeanine, did you not sign a pledge to support the republican nominees? You have been giving undue attention and press to Simpson, who is not a republican. You have even told several republican operatives that you “like Simpson.” Do you support Chapman or Simpson?
I always support the Republican ticket.
If Mike Chapman issued a statement I would be happy to put it up but I haven’t seen one. Sorry.
You haven’t posted Chapman’s detailed response to Simpson’s and Speakman’s allegations from earlier this week.
Oh, now I get it. A tag team shot at Chapman from two of the laziest candidates this county has ever seen. Lame.
The negativity and cheap tactics employed by the Plowman/King/Simpson/Martin/Stone crew are pathetic.