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Vote for Mike Chapman

By Staff | Oct 23, 2020

As sheriff, Mike Chapman’s experience and skills will provide Jefferson County with a well-managed and responsive sheriff’s department, accountable to the public.

I worked in a state government agency in Pennsylvania evaluating law department practices and providing law enforcement training and support, so leadership and management of public safety that offers effective, responsive law enforcement are especially important to me.

I asked Mike what made him want to go into law enforcement. He shared a powerful childhood experience. As a boy, he was faced with a dangerous situation and had to make an adult decision to protect himself and a family member from intruders, before law enforcement could arrive. Fortunately, the home invaders were stopped, but Mike was not afraid to defend his family and home with his father’s gun. He is a strong supporter of responsible gun ownership to this day.

Mike’s service as a reserve deputy, coupled with his experience managing a successful business in information technology, gives him the knowledge of what it takes to work within a budget, manage personnel and maintain accountability. Mike also knows the importance of establishing strong working relationships to create “win-win” solutions that go beyond the typical models of policing, forging bonds between law enforcement and every community. Manpower is the key to Mike’s plan for providing the county with responsive and effective public safety. He is committed to improving the recruitment, training and retention of top-notch personnel. We have some excellent, dedicated deputies serving the county, and we want to keep them!

Mike knows our sheriff’s department must address the diverse needs of all Jefferson County communities and its citizens. Thriving, safe communities exist when they receive quality, responsive services. Mike is ready to tackle safety concerns and put in place programs that would address needs before they become problems, including assessing and implementing effective approaches to enhancing the safety in our schools, because when students and teachers feel safe, learning improves; tackling the continuing problems posed by opioids and other illegal drug distribution and use, on the rise with the pandemic causing reduced access to treatment; implementing Project Lifesaver, a truly valuable support for those living in rural areas, helping both families and law enforcement in managing and locating wandering elderly or impaired individuals. His plan to implement community policing can dramatically improve the quality of life through partnerships between community members and deputies; it is highly effective in reducing potential crime, while forging positive working relationships with the community.

Mike Chapman is deeply committed to improving our safety, through adding targeted programs and strengthening accountability to the citizens of Jefferson County, believing transparency and good relations with all communities are key to creating and sustaining safe communities.

Your vote for Mike Chapman will deliver an efficient, effective sheriff’s department that serves and protects all our citizens. Of the candidates running for sheriff, Mike Chapman’s clear vision and sound plan for serving our citizens and managing our sheriff’s department will provide the county with superior services.

Lisa G. Payne, of Harpers Ferry