Standing with dozens of police officers, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs and prosecutors in front of the Richmond Police Memorial, Lt. Governor and Democratic Nominee for Governor Tim Kaine today received the endorsement of the Virginia Coalition of Police and Deputy Sheriffs. VCOPS President Dave Childress said, ??While many candidates say they support law enforcement by being tough on crime, Governor Warner and Tim Kaine have shown that they are also committed to providing support to our men and women in public safety. We are both proud and honored to endorse Tim Kaine as our next Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.?
Law enforcement officials praised Kaine for his record of being a successful and innovative crime fighter, using programs like Project Exile to cut Richmond?s homicide rate in half. Helen Fahey, the former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia said Tim Kaine played a key role in implementing that program, ?Tim Kaine believed in and supported Project Exile from the beginning. It would not have been possible without that kind of support. And I know as Governor, he will be a great supporter of law enforcement.?
Others pointed to Kaine?s leadership as Lt. Governor and the role he played in the passage of last year?s historic, bipartisan budget reform, which made provided significant and much-needed resources for a number of public safety programs. Newport News Sheriff Chuck Moore said Virginia needs a leader who will do more than just talk about public safety, ?You know, we need somebody more than just says I?m a crime fighter. We need somebody who will do something about it and be tough on crime. I support Tim Kaine namely because I know he?s looking out for law enforcement.?
Tim Kaine said he was honored to have the endorsement of VCOPS and the thousands of law enforcement officials across Virginia the group represents. Kaine says he looks forward to working with them to combat the challenges of methamphetamines, juvenile gangs and computer-based crimes. ?I know going forward that we?ll have public safety challenges,? said Kaine. ?This is a line of work where there is never a shortage of human activity. That means we?ve got to have people standing with us to keep us safe. But I will continue to govern in the tradition that I have in local office, investing in public safety professionals, because they deserve it, but also continually thinking outside the box, trying find a new idea, trying to tackle the new challenges that come up.?
The Virginia Coalition of Police and Deputy Sheriffs represents more than 3,000 Virginia law enforcement officials. VCOPS has no particular political affiliation and takes pride in their independent endorsement process that focuses on supporting political candidates ?who supports the needs of working police officers and deputy sheriffs.?
Tim?s public safety plan is here, and you can listen to sound files from today?s press conference here.
(This entire post was stolen from the official Tim Kaine for Governor blog.)
UPDATE: The link to Kaine's public safety plan might not work at first. If you click it and get a "page unavailable" message, hit "refresh" near the top of your screen or the F5 button on your keyboard. The page is there, I promise.