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2024 SESSION

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HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 71 Commending John Joseph McLaughlin, Jr.   Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 5, 2024  

WHEREAS, John Joseph McLaughlin, Jr., an esteemed law-enforcement officer, retired from his position as sheriff of New Kent County on December 31, 2023; and

WHEREAS, John Joseph “Joe” McLaughlin, Jr., joined the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office in 1981 after graduating from New Kent High School and earning a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice and public safety from Virginia Commonwealth University; and

WHEREAS, Joe McLaughlin began his career with the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy sheriff and was subsequently promoted to sergeant investigator in 1986, lieutenant in 1991, captain in 1995, and lieutenant colonel and chief deputy in 1998 before being elected sheriff in November 2015; and

WHEREAS, as sheriff, Joe McLaughlin oversaw a department responsible for ensuring the public safety of more than 24,000 residents in New Kent County through a variety of crime reduction endeavors and strategies; and

WHEREAS, Joe McLaughlin has advanced the use of best practices by law-enforcement professionals in the Commonwealth as a member of the Virginia Highway Safety Committee, the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission, and the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute Board of Directors; and

WHEREAS, beyond his work with the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office, Joe McLaughlin has supported his community as a longtime member of the Quinton Volunteer Fire Department, Company No. 2, where he served as chief from 1981 to 1985 and is currently a life member; and

WHEREAS, Joe McLaughlin has received several accolades in recognition of his accomplishments as a law-enforcement officer, including the Donald Benson Award from the Virginia Forensic Science Academy in 1986 and the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission Executive Board Award in 2009; and

WHEREAS, through his experienced leadership and devotion to the safety and well-being of others, Joe McLaughlin has enhanced the quality of life in New Kent County and earned the admiration of all Virginians; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That John Joseph McLaughlin, Jr., hereby be commended for his 42 years of service with the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office on the occasion of his retirement as sheriff; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to John Joseph McLaughlin, Jr., as an expression of the House of Delegates’ high regard for his contributions to New Kent County and the Commonwealth.