Don’t lose faith in law enforcement

Scott Barlow
Published: March 19, 2008

I am writing this letter in an attempt to clarify some misconceptions the community may have in relation to the investigation of internal and criminal complaints. I have been concerned after reading some of the recent editorials and letters portraying perceptions of favoritism and lack of appropriate investigations by law enforcement.

Before discussing the particulars I feel the need to share my motivation. I moved to our community in May of 2007 and hope I have gained the trust of the community. In order for us to better serve the community the Culpeper Police Department must work in partnership with other organizations within the criminal justice system. My goal has been to form these partnerships with our incumbent elected and appointed officials such as commonwealth attorneys, sheriffs, judges, Town Council members, Board of Supervisors members, and others involved in the criminal justice system.

There is no political motivation for this letter. I have a friendship and professional alliance with most of these officials including both Sheriff Branch and Major Jenkins. If Major Jenkins, was now Sheriff Jenkins, I would be working just as hard to have the aforementioned essential partnership with the Culpeper Sheriff's Office.

I have conducted many internal investigations and criminal investigations during my law enforcement career. These types of investigations rely heavily, if not solely, on witness and victim statements and testimony. The nature of investigations is such that without these statements and testimony many cases cannot be successfully concluded. This puts leaders within the criminal justice system in the difficult position of being creative to ensure some form of justice is achieved.

In criminal cases sometimes it is in the form of a plea agreement; in internal investigations sometimes it is allowing employees to resign as opposed to being terminated.

It is also important to note that discussing the particulars of an internal investigation is inappropriate, unethical - and in some cases libelous - which can lead to expensive litigation. A law enforcement leader cannot publicly defend their decisions on employee discipline. This can be very frustrating for many of us.
It comes down to public trust. It is important to note that our lack of ability to discuss internal investigations does not condone illegal or unethical behavior. We use the tools available to us to appropriately investigate and discipline. You either trust your chosen leaders to do the right thing within the best of their abilities, or you do not.

I ask for the community's support for both the Culpeper Town Police and the Culpeper County Sheriff's Office. I trust Sheriff Branch to do the right thing for the right reasons, and I hope he feels the same about me. We must work together to better serve you. Regardless of wearing brown or blue, we are a team with the sole purpose of serving our community. The men and women you see in brown and blue are your neighbors, friends and sometimes family members. We need your support.

When there is a lack of trust, or a perception of lack of trust, for law enforcement the entire community suffers. I am saddened to see the divisive tenor of some writings and truly hope we can work together to make our town and county the best it can be.

Scott Barlow is chief of police for the town of Culpeper.