Ken Cuccinelli Endorsed for Attorney General by 77 Elected Law Enforcement Officials

Releases first television ad highlighting his work fixing the Melendez-Diaz problem

Richmond, VA. -- Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-37) accepted the endorsement for Attorney General from 77 different elected law enforcement officials from across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"I am honored to announce the endorsements from 77 law enforcement officials, both Sheriff's and Commonwealth Attorney's, of my candidacy for Attorney General of Virginia," Senator Cuccinelli said. "These individuals, all of whom have the trust of their communities, and many of whom are politically independent, are supporting me because they know that as Attorney General I will advance tough strategies for fighting gangs, drugs, and other crime." He continued, "I am humbled by such widespread support among Virginia's Sheriffs and Commonwealth Attorneys, in addition to the Fraternal Order of Police, which itself represents more than 8000 law enforcement officers and is the largest law enforcement organization in the Commonwealth."

Standing in support of Senator Cuccinelli at today's press conference were Sheriff Thomas D. Jones (Charlotte), Sheriff Danny Diggs (York/Poquoson), Sheriff Bob Deeds (Williamsburg), Sheriff Charlie Jett (Stafford), Commonwealth's Attorney Lisa Caruso (Dinwiddie) and Commonwealth's Attorney Billy Davenport (Chesterfield).

While unable to attend, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), a recognized expert on gang problems in Virginia, stated, "I respect the work that Ken Cuccinelli has done on the Courts of Justice Committee to combat gangs here in Virginia. His legislation to pro-actively put a halt to gang recruitment and initiation has helped keep Virginia's families and communities safer. As Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli will continue to crack down on gangs and gang violence wherever it exists."

Additionally, State Senator Ken Stolle, candidate for Sheriff in Virginia Beach, had this to say about Senator Cuccinelli, "For the past seven years, I've had the pleasure of serving with Ken Cuccinelli on the Senate Courts Committee. His commitment to law enforcement is unquestionable. With Ken Cuccinelli as our next Attorney General, the law enforcement community will have a tireless advocate at their side. It's no wonder Ken has received the support of so many Sheriffs and Commonwealth Attorneys, all in addition to the Fraternal Order of Police."

Commonwealth's Attorneys enthusiastically joined Senator Cuccinelli's campaign when he showed true leadership in the wake of the Melendez-Diaz decision by the Supreme Court this summer. Senator Cuccinelli quickly realized that drug offenders and drunk drivers could go unpunished due to this ruling and requested that Governor Kaine call a special session. Governor Kaine followed Senator Cuccinelli's lead and on August 19th, the Virginia House and Senate convened in Richmond and passed much of the legislative fix to the Melendez problem that Senator Cuccinelli had proposed.

Commonwealth's Attorney Billy Davenport (Chesterfield County) commented, "When justice was denied here in Virginia this summer, Ken Cuccinelli stepped up to the plate. His leadership in the wake of the Melendez decision should be commended. His ability to work across the aisle with Governor Kaine proves that he will make an effective Attorney General. He has my full support."

Sheriff Danny Diggs (York/Poquoson) spoke on Senator Cuccinelli's work as a State Senator and his leadership on issues relating to the law enforcement community. Sheriff Diggs commented "Sheriffs in Virginia could not ask for a better candidate than Ken Cuccinelli. I have known and respected Ken for a long time now and I completely trust him to tackle the tough issues Virginia faces like gangs and internet predators."

Today Senator Cuccinelli also reiterated some of the highlights of the McDonnell/Cuccinelli Public Safety plan they unveiled on August 12th, including:

• Cracking down on a career drug dealers by proposing tougher mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders;
• Requiring a form of intensive lifetime monitoring (such as GPS tracking) of violent sexual predators not eligible for civil commitment but who continue to pose a danger to society;
• Including ALL law enforcement in the capital-eligible victims list;
• Pushing for the statutory fix to the Moore v. Commonwealth case (from April of 2008), which would allow police officers greater flexibility in making an arrest in misdemeanor cases;
• Utilizing the multi-jurisdictional grand jury approach to gang prosecution that the Attorney General's office has used with exceptional success with the Commonwealth's Attorneys in the Shenandoah Valley. Ken wants to replicate that model in other parts of VA.
• Proposing that the penalty for a convicted sex offender who fails to register for Virginia's Sex Offender Registry be elevated to a felony.

In conjunction with today's Law Enforcement Coalition rollout and Senator Cuccinelli's plans to keep Virginia safe, Senator Cuccinelli also announced the release of his first television ad to begin airing statewide on Tuesday. The ad can be viewed here.

The full list of endorsements can be found on our webpage .