McLaughlin announces candidacy for Sheriff’s position in New Kent

John Joseph McLaughlin Jr., the current chief deputy in the New Kent Sheriff’s Office, is announcing his candidacy for sheriff in the November 2015 election. He is seeking to replace nine-term Sheriff F.W. “Wakie” Howard Jr. who recently announced plans to retire and not seek a 10th term.

McLaughlin is a long time resident of New Kent since moving to the Tunstall area of the county at age 3. He is a life member of Quinton Volunteer Fire & EMS Company 2 having joined the company in 1972 and served as chief from 1981-85. He also served as a member of the Providence Forge Volunteer Rescue Squad from 1975-79.

He graduated from New Kent High School in June 1975 and Virginia Commonwealth University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in the administration of justice and public safety with a concentration in police planning and management and a minor in psychology.

In his current post as chief deputy, he is second in command of the sheriff’s office and performs all the duties of a deputy sheriff and those of the sheriff in his absence. He supervises day-to-day operations and is also the office’s grant manager– researching, applying for, and managing grant programs for personnel, equipment and technology grants.

He started with the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office on June 30, 1981, as a deputy sheriff. County fire fighter duties were also a part of the daily assignments, the first position of this type in New Kent. In October 1998 he became the first person appointed to investigator in the sheriff’s office. He served as the office’s accreditation manager until 2012. As accreditation manager he was responsible for formulation of sheriff’s office policies and procedures and ensuring that those policies and procedures complied with local, state and federal law, court opinions, and law enforcement practices and with the standards of the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission. In 2003, the New Kent Sheriff’s Office was awarded accredited status.

He was the first member of the New Kent Sheriff’s Office to graduate from the Virginia Forensic Science Academy and was the first deputy sheriff in Virginia to be awarded the Donald Benson Award for academic achievement. He is a certified accreditation manager and accreditation assessor, and was one of first to be certified as a master assessor. He is also a member of the standards review committee.

He attended the Police Executive Leadership School (PELS) at the University of Richmond in 1998. He is a certified law enforcement general instructor and has received training in media relations and community policing. He has attended numerous training sessions to include the investigation of domestic violence, fire/arson, drugs/narcotics and financial crimes.

“I believe it is very important to be a good steward of the taxpayer’s dollar,” he said in a press release. “I will work to establish relationships with local, state and federal representatives in an effort to meet normally unfunded mandates by defining their need and working on a regional resolution where possible and/or funding streams other than local tax funds.

“The sheriff’s office will continue to serve the citizens of the county in a fair, productive and caring manner without prejudice toward any member of society,” he added. “I will continue the agency’s accredited status with emphasis placed on maintaining a professional law enforcement agency complying with all local, state and federal laws and with all of the VLEPSC standards. It is important that the number of active neighborhood watch groups, business watch programs, and youth and senior citizen assistance programs within the county be increased by introducing a more active crime prevention program.

“I am the best candidate for this position,” he said in the press release. “I am a veteran member of this agency with the reputation of being fair to all, friendly to everyone, and performing my duties as a law enforcement officer in a professional, dignified and caring manner.

“I am a lifelong community service minded citizen of New Kent. I believe the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office is one of the best law enforcement agencies in the country. I have the support of a wide and diverse population of the county and the members of the law enforcement community. I take great pride in the reputation of this office and I will do my best to ensure that the reputation of this office is maintained as such.

“I have worked my entire career to make this office an integral part of the law enforcement community and a leader in that community,” he said. “The service that we provide to our community is the most important aspect of this office’s function. I will strive to maintain and improve upon the training of every member of this office making every effort to be in front of the criminal and threat curve working to ensure the safety and security of each citizen of our great county.”