Sheriff Mike Chapman considering the big leap: from LoCo Sheriff to Governor of Virginia

Michael L. Chapman, the popular, outspoken, and very forward-thinking Sheriff of Loudoun County, is considering a run for the governorship of Virginia in 2021.

The Blue Ridge Leader & Loudoun Today interviewed Sheriff Chapman in late October.

While Chapman had not made a final decision about his possible run, he did not hold back, providing at least one example of how another sheriff, in another state had succeeded in making the leap from chief law enforcement officer to governor. The Loudoun County Sheriff is an official “Constitutional Officer.”

Power and influence in Loudoun County

Chapman made clear that he is very bullish about law enforcement and its dedication to citizen service and “professionalism.”

He criticized the backlash taking place in some American communities as a result of what he sees as actions of just a handful of law enforcement officers – including backlash in some state legislatures, including the Virginia House of Delegates.

“No one takes this kind of job for the money,” he said, speaking of the professionalism the great majority of law enforcement officers exhibit.  He said it is simply untrue that the great majority of “law enforcement officers are not professional.”

Earlier this Fall the Virginia House of Delegates approved a bill to make it easier to sue law enforcement for violating an individual’s Constitutional rights.  

Such trends make the job of individual members of law enforcement more and more difficult, according to Chapman.

With respect to this issue, he pointed to action by the Virginia General Assembly in January turning law enforcement’s immunity from prosecution into “qualified immunity,” also questioning just how “civilian review boards” and other factors might impact the profession. There are so many “moving parts” to this job, he said, we need “sensible leadership” on the subject.  He sees some discussions as circulating around what he called a “false narrative,” as far as law enforcement is concerned.  

This, in fact, is probably one of Chapman’s main motivators as he considers a run for the governorship.  He also sees Virginia as “less safe.”

As for a possible governor’s run, Chapman told us he is looking at “every aspect” of the issue.  It’s a big decision.

Earlier this fall the Virginia House of Delegates approved a bill to make it easier to sue law enforcement for violating an individual’s Constitutional rights.  

Such trends make the job of individual members of law enforcement more and more difficult, according to Chapman.

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office – largest in the Commonwealth

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is the largest full-service office in the State of Virginia.

It directs the county-wide law enforcement activities, the jail system, and the courts system, and employs approximately 800 people.  Those 800 include 600 sworn deputies and 200 civilian employees. They serve an area of over 500 square miles. 

In a 2020 paper entitled The Rise (and Fall) of Elected Sheriffs, PHD student Cameron DeHart traces “the historical process that led Americans to begin electing sheriffs in the 18^th and 19^th centuries …”

DeHart looks at the development of modern efforts to “reverse” the trend that made sheriff an elected office.  Some people want the sheriff to be accountable to the voter, some don’t.  Some see it as tradition, and some as a relic of the past. 

LoCo Leadership

The leadership of Loudoun’s Sheriff’s Office includes Sheriff Chapman (elected sheriff in 2011), Colonel Mark Poland – a 23-year veteran, Lt. Colonels Christopher Hines (joined office in 1984), and Eric Prugh (former Field Deputy), and Majors Michael Cox (joined department in 1995), Bobby Miller (joined department in 1996), Charles Richardson (31 years in law enforcement), and Christopher Sawyer (joined department in 2005).

According to the Office’s website, “… Mike Chapman … directs operations for the largest full-service office in the State of Virginia which handles county-wide law enforcement, the jail and our courts. During his first term in office, Sheriff Chapman expanded the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) to include both Elementary and Middle Schools, established a Cold Case squad; enhanced media outreach through integrated technology and a restructured website; introduced on-line reporting; professionalized the Human Resources and hiring processes; and improved training, accountability, and efficiency.”

According to Chapman: Sherriff’s Office vs. Police Department Study, July 2020 

Table 1.1 in this study notes the following: “Level of impact/Risk of each of the following in creating a County-wide Police Department vs. staying with Sheriff’s Office [according to Chapman] “HIGH” – 1) Reduction of State funding (LCSO currently receives $8.1 million in annual funding, PD would get $6.2 million); 2) Liability insurance (LCSO’s paid by State, PD liability, not paid by State); Liability limitations (LCSO, limitations by law of $1.5 million, PD, no limitations); Office space (for both LCSO and PD, additional space required); Equipment (LCSO, no cost, PD, re-outfitting of vehicles, uniforms, etc.).”
The study also notes that a Police Department would require $10.1 million in annual funding for personnel, and the arduous process of the selection of a Chief of Police. 

Chapman has consistently opposed the idea of moving from a Sheriff’s Office system to a Police Department system in Loudoun County.

“No one takes this kind of job for the money.”

— Sheriff Mike Chapman

A public safety empire

Chapman runs a very tight ship and is responsible for heading, among other things, an adult detention center, Ashburn, Eastern Loudoun, and Western Loudoun sheriff’s stations; the Dulles South Public Safety Center, and the sheriff’s administration building (in Leesburg).

The Sheriff’s Office maintains a constantly-changing website, featuring links for Citizen Feedback, Report a Crime, Become a Deputy, Records Services, Crime Map Statistics, and Report a Traffic Complaint. 

It also welcomes citizen complaints, questions, and concerns, and donations.  Towing and traffic complaints are welcomed, too …

A Donations Fund supports things such as “flowers for funerals of employee family members, retirement events, appreciation plaques, and good will activities for Sheriff’s Office employees.”
Donations are also accepted for specific initiatives such as Project Lifesaver – an “electronic- based tracking program,” for people with Alzheimer’s, autism, and other medical conditions; the McGruff Safety Camp for kids, and the office’s School Resource Officer, Crime Prevention, Community Resource, and Auxiliary units.

A broad perspective

The more roles a person as prominent as Chapman has assumed in his lifetime, the more natural a decision like running for governor may actually be.

Chapman has worked in both the public and private sectors, including a Washington, D.C. consulting firms, and the DEA, and, he has decades of experience in law enforcement.

He has worked in Texas, California, Maryland, and now, Virginia.  He has seen things from the perspective of an American private/public sector employee, but has also worked in Korea, Thailand, and Europe.

He also comes from “a family of service,” with many of his kids following him into the public sector, and some taking the private sector route.