For Childress

To the editor:

There have been several letters to the editor for one of the candidates for city sheriff from persons who live outside of Danville and cannot vote in this election. I have known Wayne Booth for almost 50 years, T.L. Childress for more than 20 years and I hired Mike Mondul some 16 years ago.

I will cast my vote for Thelbert Childress because he is the most qualified candidate. He has been with the Danville Sheriff’s Office for 21 years and has served as a shift sergeant, lieutenant of record/transportation, commander of the ERT and is accreditation officer for life, health and safety for the Department of Corrections. He is also a certified instruction by the Department of Criminal Justice Services for defensive tactics and a general instructor.

He has worked hard and applied himself well during his time with the Danville Sheriff’s Office and has a thorough knowledge of all aspects of the sheriff’s department. He knows the city sheriff’s office has responsibility for the jail, courtroom security and serving of civil process. While he will cooperate with all criminal justice agencies, he has not misled the voters by implying he will have a great impact on crime by partnering with the Virginia State Police and sheriff departments in neighboring jurisdictions as has one of the other candidates. Childress knows the Danville Police Department is responsible for policing the streets and investigating crime and it would be duplication of effort for the Danville Sheriff’s Office to contemplate such activity, wasting taxpayers’ money and taking officers of the sheriff’s department away from duties they must perform.

In his personal life, Childress is a fine Christian gentleman who has been married for 13 years and has three children. He graduated from GWHS and played on the 1982 state championship football team, has lived in Danville for 38 years and is deacon at his church. He has an associate’s degree in Administration of Justice from Danville Community College and is a part of the 2009 Sorensen Institute Candidate Training Program.

While Childress does not have name recognition — since he has been working inside the jail and is not a designated spokesperson for the sheriff’s department — it does not lessen his qualifications, just as being spokesman for the Danville Police Department does not add to the qualifications of one of the other candidates. I hope you will consider the qualifications of Lt. Childress and join me in voting for Childress for Danville sheriff. He will not let you down.

T. NEAL MORRIS

Danville