This is cross-posted on Left of the Hill.
Last week Creigh Deeds picked up the endorsement of the Fairfax Coalition of Police and the Fairfax Deputy Sheriffs Coalition. Illustrating how the law enforcement professionals believe he would make an excellent Governor, the International Union of Police Associations joined in by endorsing Senator Deeds. The endorsement came largely because Deeds is a leader who can be counted on to go beyond the empty rhetoric that we often hear during the campaign process.
[I.U.P.A. International Executive Vice President Dennis J.] Slocumb acknowledged that many politicians give lip service to public safety but too often fail to take a stand and prove their support by voting on tough issues. He contrasted their lack of courage contrasting it with Deeds exemplary service saying, "You have always been beside us in actions that punctuate your rhetoric. You wrote Megan's Law that provided public access to the state's sexual offender registry and you also sponsored the Amber Alert program to protect our children."One thing that is worth noting is the fact that the I.U.P.A. usually endorses a candidate based upon not only an examination of the candidate's record, but also by discussing the candidate with the local organizations and officers. In other words, there is a significant amount of time and energy that goes into deciding which candidate they should endorse in a particular race. Furthermore, it is also important because the local people are primarily the ones who will be interacting with the candidate and will perhaps have a more direct idea of which candidate would be the best person for the job.
One might wonder why Creigh is running for Governor instead of Attorney General if he has a background that would be so useful for the law enforcement community. A representative for the I.U.P.A. told me that it's important for the chief executive of a state to be someone who has illustrated a commitment to public safety. Furthermore, with Creigh's background he has illustrated how he is someone whose policy agenda will look after the best interests of the public and the officers. In other words, the law enforcement community believes that Creigh Deeds is the candidate most qualified to be the Commonwealth's chief executive officer.