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Vote November 3rd!

This November 3rd, Vote for John Bell to become the next Sheriff of Va. Beach

Experience Matters

On November 3, 2009 there will be many important elections in Virginia Beach but none is more important to the quality of life of our citizens than the race to choose the next Sheriff of the City of Virginia Beach. On November 3rd your choice for Sheriff will be a simple one. Do you choose Captain John L. Bell Jr., a respected public safety professional; a man who has shown his commitment to leadership since being promoted to sergeant on the Virginia Beach Police Department in 1986; a man who has been a leader and an administrator since being promoted to lieutenant in 1990 and captain in 1997; a man who has demonstrated his ability to lead by serving as Commanding Officer of several precincts and bureaus of the Virginia Beach Police Department; a man who has demonstrated his commitment to honing his leadership and administrative skills by obtaining a Master of Public Administration degree from an accredited university as well as formal law enforcement administrative training from the Southern Police Institute, University of Louisville and the Professional Executive Leadership School at the University of Richmond and a man with over 33 ½ years of continuous service protecting the citizens of Virginia Beach?

Or:

Do you choose his opponent, a man who over 20 years ago left a career in law enforcement for a more lucrative career as an attorney; a man who chose to enter politics where he served as a legislator for almost the last 2 decades; a man who after being away from the noble profession of law enforcement for over 20 years has decided to return to Virginia Beach and become your next Sheriff?

On November 3rd your choice for Sheriff will be a simple one. Will you choose Captain John L. Bell Jr., a career law enforcement administrator with over 33 ½ years experience protecting you and the streets of Virginia Beach; a man who has spent the majority of his career preparing himself to assume command of a public safety organization such as the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office?

Or:

Do you chose his opponent, a politician who woke up one morning and decided that he wanted to be your next Sheriff?

Who will you choose come November 3, 2009?

For the Record-It’s Not About the Money!

There have been attempts by some to portray the race for Virginia Beach Sheriff as a contest hinging on who has the largest pool of money in their bank accounts.

The office of Sheriff of the City of Virginia Beach is not for sale!

The race to choose your next Sheriff should not be decided by who has the largest bank account. The race to choose your next sheriff should be decided by who has the largest commitment to the citizens of Virginia Beach. That commitment has been shown by Captain John L. Bell Jr. who has served the citizens of Virginia Beach as a leader in law enforcement for over 33 ½ years.

It’s About Commitment to Public Service and Public Safety!

Captain Bell has spent his entire career dedicated to public service not self-service. There have been attempts by some to portray Captain Bell as “Soft on crime”, and a person who will “Substitute his own judgment”, for that of judges because of his support of the expanded use of alternative sentences for non-violent, less serious offenders.

Both of these characterizations are ludicrous!

Captain Bell had been keeping the streets of Virginia Beach safe for over 33 ½ years. For over two years Captain Bell volunteered to serve as the Police Department’s Night Command Duty Officer where instead of being home with his family at night like other police captains, he patrolled the streets with his officers overseeing all nighttime police operations while you slept. For five years Captain Bell served as the Commanding Officer of the Detective Bureau. He was responsible for leading a Bureau of approximately 150 detectives, forensics technicians and civilian employees who investigated robberies and homicides occurring in our city.

Working with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office and Federal law enforcement organizations, Captain Bell assisted in having cases involving violent predators tried in Federal courts where suspects received stiffer sentences than would have been given in State courts.

Does this sound like someone who is “Soft on crime”?

As a Command Duty Officer and Commanding Officer of the Detective Bureau, Captain Bell had the unfortunate responsibility and duty to respond to and supervise crime scenes involving the murder of two Virginia Beach police officers. On a cold night on December 27, 1981, after a fellow officer was shot and mortally wounded by an escapee from an out of state prison, it was Captain Bell who later that same night was involved in a shoot-out with that same escapee in the Kempsville section of our city resulting in the death of the person responsible for the death of that police officer.

Soft on crime?

The suggestion that Captain Bell is soft on crime or would do anything to jeopardize the safety of the citizens of Virginia Beach is not only ludicrous but offensive!

Captain Bell will not substitute his judgment for that of the courts but he will support efforts to expand the use of alternative sentencing similar to those efforts currently being explored by the Virginia Department of Public Safety Alternatives for Non-Violent Offenders Task Force which was established at the direction of the General Assembly.

Side-by-Side Comparison

While my opponent has touted his many years in the Virginia State Legislature and pointed towards his many legislative accomplishments, I would simply ask if you think it's a better policy to start combating crime before it happens, or simply wait until after someone makes a desperate call to 911 for help? My opponent has taken me to task for favoring the use of electronic monitoring over incarceration for non-violent, first-time offenders, but let me pose this question: Is it a better use of our resources to use electronic monitoring for someone who can be rehabilitated into a productive member of society or to demand taxpayers pay the expense of building new jail space and hiring people to guard inmates?

United States Attorney General Eric Holder recently stated that one of every 100 adults across our country is behind bars, "the highest incarceration rate in the world." Holder cited drug court programs that offer alternatives to jail time for nonviolent criminals, including treatment for their drug habits and routine follow-up testing for drug use. "These programs give no one a free pass," Holder said. "They are strict and can be difficult to get through, but for those who succeed, there is the real prospect of a productive future." Attorney General Holder went on to say, "jail is not the entire answer when it comes to law enforcement." The old, "Lock 'em up and throw away the key" attitude is meeting with the fact that longer prison terms spent in harsher conditions actually has the unexpected result of increasing the chances of a former inmate being arrested within 36 months after their release.

As your Sheriff, Captain Bell will work with his fellow sheriffs, experts in the criminal justice system and judges to explore new ways to oversee supervision of those incarcerated for non-violent crimes while making the safety of the citizens of Virginia Beach his first priority while being ever mindful of not only the rights of the accused as required by law, but also the rights of the victim as required by conscience.
Source: Chicago Tribune
Source: Study-Do Harsher Prison Conditions Reduce Recidivism?
Source: U.S.A.G. Holder's Speech to the American Bar Association

Jail-Not a "One-Size Fits-All" Solution

Some members of our society suffer from mental illness. Some people suffer from mental illness such as bipolar disorder where life is a roller-coaster of emotional highs and lows. Other citizens suffer from Schizophrenia, a mental disorder that if left untreated can become quite severe. In some cases those suffering a mental health crisis come in contact with police officers and may be arrested as a result of their erratic and sometimes violent behavior. Captain Bell shares the view of those in the mental health field that many people incarcerated under these circumstances need treatment not confinement. Captain Bell feels that corrections should be tempered with compassion. Captain Bell would support efforts to establish "Mental Health dockets" where those incarcerated as a result of mental health issues would be candidates to seek treatment for their illness while their sentences for minor charges were deferred. There are those in our society who belong in treatment as a result of their behavior, not jail.
Source: NPR Report-The Sights and Sounds of Schizophrenia

Help Us Win in November!

Captain Bell needs your help to become the next Sheriff of the City of Virginia Beach on November 3, 2009. Captain Bell is committed to continuing to serve you as he had done for the last 33 ½ years and he is committed to making your safety his first priority! You can help Captain Bell in several ways.

My Commitment to You

As your next Sheriff, I will bring over 33 years of not only practicle law enforcement experience to the job, but I will also bring the credentials of a trained and experienced law enforcement administrator to the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office that will provide the highest level of commitment to the mission of this important arm of our local government.

The question before the voters of Virginia Beach in this as with any election is, do the voters want a career politican for thier next Sheriff or, a candidate that has spent his career serving and protecting Virginia Beach residents as well as helping our police department solve crimes, serving as a commander to our officers and maintaining the integrity and professionalisim of our widely-respected police department?

I trust that the Citizens of Virginia Beach will make the right decision.