In his new position Washington will work toward increasing the effectiveness of ABC, an agency that has fallen under severe scrutiny in the last year.
The ABC came under fire last April after plainclothes ABC agents attempted to arrest a University of Virginia woman as she walked out of a Harris Teeter grocery store in the Barracks Road Shopping Center in Charlottesville. Elizabeth K. Daly, who was underage, carried with her a case of what agents believed to be beer but actually proved to be sparkling water.
Unsure if the agents were legitimate law enforcement officers, Daly drove off in her car, grazing two of the officers, one of whom had drawn a gun and another who had tried to break her car window with a steel flashlight. She was arrested and charged with assault, though the charges were later dropped and expunged from her record. Now she is suing the state – and the seven ABC agents involved – for $40 million.
Several legislators, outraged by the agents’ conduct, called for removing law enforcement duties from the ABC.
It is in this political atmosphere that Washington finds himself in his new role as special advisor. In order to increase ABC’s effectiveness, Washington will make recommendations on issues such as enhancing working partnerships with local agencies and encouraging collaborations with businesses. He’ll also advise on matters pertaining to recruitment and retention, hiring, training, continuing education, and increasing diversity within ABC.
Washington will report to the three commissioners on the state ABC board, and then together they will all make recommendations to Brian Moran, secretary of public safety and homeland security, and to Gov. McAuliffe.
In his capacity as special advisor, Washington will oversee and ensure consistency and uniformity within the eight regional ABC offices within Virginia.
After 14 years as Fluvanna’s sheriff, Washington welcomes a change. “It will be a new challenge but I’m excited about it,” Washington told the Fluvanna Review. “I believe that my professional, life, and civic experiences will give me great guidance on how to assist the board, secretary, and governor in its decisions regarding ABC.”
Nonetheless, Washington acknowledged the difficult nature of his decision to leave the office of sheriff. “This decision was one of the hardest that I have had to make in a very long time,” he wrote in a statement. “After dedicating almost two decades of service to Fluvanna, I find myself saddened to leave so many friends, citizens and staff.”
But ultimately what drove him to accept Gov. McAuliffe’s appointment was his belief in what he could accomplish. “I believe that many of the governor’s initiatives are supported by many Virginians, including myself,” Washington said. “My professional experience can assist in enabling those initiatives to come to fruition.”
But what about Fluvanna?
Washington explained that his chief deputy, Eric Hess, will take over the duties of sheriff when Washington resigns. Hess, who he called “well-qualified” for the office, plans to run for sheriff in a special election this November, Washington said. The new sheriff will then have to run again in a regular election in November 2015.
When asked to reflect on his time as sheriff, Washington said, “It gave me the opportunity to enhance the agency when the county was going through a growth spurt and change. I was also able to do things such as work with the Board of Supervisors to build a new facility, put in place the E911 system, enact policy and procedures that determine how we govern ourselves and carry out the duties of the office, make massive technology upgrades, enhance diversity within the agency, and keep the crime rate low.”
Despite the job change, Washington isn’t going too far away. In fact, he and his family will continue to live in Fluvanna. His wife, Camilla Washington, will remain in her role as chairperson of the Fluvanna County School Board. “I’m staying put,” Washington said with a flash of his signature dimples. “I’m not going anywhere.”
