Warren County Sheriff’s Office Community Advisory Council (CAC) is looking for new members and new leaders

The WCSO CAC was established in July 2020, as the Covid-19 virus was raging and everyone was trying to figure out how to deal with it, continue working, and persevere. The first meeting was just to get acquainted with all the applicants and to begin the process of nominating officers. We were all masked and we all abided by the social distancing protocols. It was comical but constructive nonetheless. We’ve come a very long since then.

The first official meeting was in August 2020 and during that meeting, the current chair and vice-chair were elected and the CAC got to work. The CAC officers were elected to 2-year terms. The role of the CAC is twofold. The members represent all the different areas of the county and the Town of Front Royal in bringing community concerns to the attention of the sheriff’s office, and they also receive updates on all the initiatives and operations of the WCSO on a bi-monthly basis. The CAC meetings are not a place for people to come and vent or register complaints (the WCSO has a very good process for that) but rather for the free exchange of information on issues and topics that are important to the community. The CAC meets on the third Thursday, every other month. The current secretary assumed that duty in early 2021 when the original secretary had to step down due to personal reasons.

I was fortunate and humbled to be elected as the first chair of the CAC and I have truly enjoyed the time and commitment. Getting the CAC going and organized has been rewarding and fun. Since its establishment two years ago the CAC has assisted the WCSO in applying for a grant to hire more deputies; endorsed its application for accreditation as a Certified Crime Prevention Community which, if approved, would make Warren County one of only 13 in the entire Commonwealth of Virginia with that certification (and enable the WCSO to apply for many more grants); and challenged the WCSO leadership when incidents demanded it. The WCSO has always been willing to share any relevant information with the CAC members, within legal guidelines, and has offered all the CAC members the opportunity to “ride-along” with deputies after proper coordination.

There is much work left to be done and I am excited about the future of the CAC, the WCSO, and Warren County in general. That’s why I am asking that the people of this beautiful community think about becoming members of the Community Advisory Council. We meet for two hours, once every two months. It’s not a large time commitment, but a very worthwhile and rewarding one. It’s a great way to give back to the community in a small but meaningful way. I’ve enjoyed my time as the chair immensely, but my term is just about to expire and it’s time for me to hand off the duty to a new chair. I intend to remain active on the CAC but as a member, not the chair. If there is one area I really would love to see improve, it is to grow the membership of the CAC from its current 13 members to at least 20.

The next meeting of the CAC is on Thursday, June 16, 2022, at 6 PM. We meet at the Warren County Public Safety Building in the meeting room. We hope to see you there. The CAC needs you.

Bruce Townshend
Chair, Warren County Sheriff’s Office Community Advisory Council