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2020 SESSION

20102104D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 176
Offered February 1, 2020
Commending James L. Agnew.
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Patrons-- McGuire and Ware; Senator: Peake
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WHEREAS, James L. Agnew, a dedicated law-enforcement officer, retired as sheriff of Goochland County on January 1, 2020, after 28 years of exceptional service to the community; and

WHEREAS, James Agnew grew up in Richmond and served his country as a member of the United States Coast Guard Reserve from 1974 to 1980; he began his law-enforcement career as a game warden with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in 1977; and

WHEREAS, James Agnew began his first term as the head of the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office on January 1, 1992, and was subsequently re-elected to six additional terms as sheriff; and

WHEREAS, James Agnew enhanced the professionalism and the operational capabilities of the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office by writing and maintaining a comprehensive manual of Standard Operating Procedures, placing mobile computer terminals and cutting-edge equipment in every patrol car, and advocating for competitive pay for deputies and dispatchers; and

WHEREAS, under James Agnew’s leadership, the Goochland County Sheriff’s Office achieved accreditation and four subsequent re-accreditations by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission; and

WHEREAS, James Agnew established wide-ranging programs to benefit the community, including the Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Academy, the Goochland School Resource Officer Program, the Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention Program, and the Goochland Emergency Medical Dispatch Program; and he initiated successful partnerships with Richmond Metro Crime Stoppers, the Goochland Christmas Mother program, and Goochland Meals on Wheels; and

WHEREAS, James Agnew has made many contributions to the field of law enforcement as a board member of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association, where he served on a task force to formulate policies to prevent biased policing, and a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health and the committee that established the statewide Amber Alert System; and

WHEREAS, as an active participant in the annual Police Unity Tour, James Agnew has honored the sacrifices of his fellow law-enforcement officers by raising money for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, James Agnew further served the citizens of Goochland County by volunteering his time and leadership as a board member of the Friends of the Goochland Branch Library, the Tuckahoe Family YMCA, the Goochland Family YMCA, the Capital Area Alcohol Safety Action Program, and the Goochland Rotary Club; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend James L. Agnew on the occasion of his retirement as sheriff of Goochland County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to James L. Agnew as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his commitment to serving and protecting the residents of Goochland County and best wishes on his well-earned retirement.