Loudoun Now for April 21, 2016 by Loudoun Now

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Metro funding << FROM 1 attorneys, and developers with property along the future rail line who gathered to talk about the project’s progress. Calabrese said that of the more than 14,000 acres in the tax district, only 1,724 remain developable—about 12 percent of the district. The rest is either already built or is federally owned land at Dulles Airport. Calabrese said it’s “not a lot to work with to move the needle.” Supervisor Ron A. Meyer Jr. (R-Broad Run), who spoke at the meeting, and whose election district includes a large part of the tax district, did not disagree. “When you set projections, and you’re not meeting those projections, it’d be tough to interpret that as a positive sign, and I would not disagree that we have to have urgency in filling our Metro tax district,” Meyer said after the meeting. But the supervisor said this is not a county failure—the county’s Department of Economic Development, he said, has attracted a lot of investment. The point of contention is over what to build there. Calabrese said Loudoun’s traditional development models are not a good fit.

Sheriff office shake up << FROM 1 initially attempted to obtain the memos through a Freedom of Information Act request, but the sheriff ’s office and the office of County Attorney Leo Rogers declined to release them. The two offices cited an exemption in FOIA law that allows—but does not require—the sheriff ’s office to withhold some personnel records. The memos, obtained through other sources, show that, of the Loudoun County Sheriff Department’s 541 sworn officers, 85 have been transferred or promoted. Those changes came after Chapman released five senior personnel who were not resworn in December. “I can tell you, in about 18 years of law enforcement, I’ve never seen that many moves,” said Joe Woloszyn, president of the PBA’s Fairfax chapter. Among those reassigned by Chapman were the president and senior vice president of the PBA’s Loudoun chapter. Loudoun PBA President Detective Sean Dikeman was transferred from automotive theft investigations to nighttime field operations. Senior Vice President Sergeant Jay Conner—who was given a Commendation Award during the sheriff ’s sixth annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony on Feb. 19, a week before the memo announcing his transfer—was moved from robbery/homicide investigations to the Adult Detention Center. Both declined to comment for this article. Other transfers were similarly stark. One sergeant was transferred from the Rapid Response Unit—Loudoun’s SWAT team—to nighttime field operations. Sergeant Jeffery Hunt, a Loudoun PBA board member, was transferred from investigating financial crimes to

Data centers make a lot of tax revenue, but are not very rail friendly because they do not have many employees. Retail is already overbuilt. And of suburban office parks, like the AOL campus where the meeting was held, he said, “This type of development is great, but it’s had its day.” Instead, he said, walkable, mixed-use developments—like One Loudoun— are the best way to boost tax district revenue. But Meyer said the county has to do more. “I think his comments come from the perspective of his clients, not from the county perspective necessarily,” he said. It’s not enough for Loudoun just to build mixed-use, according to Meyer. The county needs to figure out how to distinguish itself in the market. “We can’t be another Reston, another Merrifield—we have to be our type of community,” Meyer said. “If people want to live in an urban environment close to the city, they have literally dozens of options popping up.” Meyer also said he would like to see future data centers located away from residential areas and steer toward highnoise areas, such as near the airport or highways. Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian), who chairs daytime field operations. The more recent shakeup follows the release of senior officers in December, including a top administrator, ranked second only to the sheriff, and the office’s lead major crimes investigator, who will be a key witness in a major murder trial scheduled for next month. That investigator supported Chapman’s opponent in the Republican party’s nomination process and was let go Dec. 31. Both the administrator and investigator also declined to comment for this article. Other current and former employees of the office have also declined to go on the record, citing fears of retaliation. In an interview Tuesday, Chapman said mixing up career tracks and cross-training personnel improves the department as a whole. “A lot of folks think if you get one assignment, then you’re supposed to have it for a career,” Chapman said. “It’s not advantageous in a lot of ways. They may get very proficient in that area, but they kind of lose perspective of the agency as a whole. You become more valuable when you understand the agency as a whole, rather than one element of the agency.” He denies that any of the moves were for political reasons or even having knowledge which of his staff members hold PBA memberships. “I don’t know—other than maybe a couple people—I don’t even know who’s on that,” Chapman said. “I really don’t. I don’t keep up with that.” “I don’t buy the argument that it’s for training purposes,” McGowan said. “All of these guys were functioning at a high level in specialized jobs, and had been trained. Pulling them out of these specialized positions seems to me to be counterproductive, and now the taxpayer’s going to have to foot the bill for training the new people.” Chapman pointed out that law en-

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Supervisors Ron A. Meyer Jr. (R-Broad Run) and Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) listen to presentations at a Silver Line seminar at the AOL campus in Dulles.

the county board’s Transportation and Land Use Committee, agreed that the county needs a Loudoun solution— which does include data centers, where appropriate. “I believe there is enough land in eastern Loudoun where our economic development office can work with the data center providers,” Volpe said. “We’re at an important crossroads, like Arlington was 40 years ago, like Reston and Fairfax were 30 years ago,”

Calabrese said. “You need planning, vision and fortitude. We have the people in the room capable of delivering on the promises.” Virginia Del. Kenneth R. Plum (D36), founder and chairman of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, closed out the program. “Make no mistake about it, the discussion has to continue,” he said.

“IF YOU WANT TO PAY A DEPUTY TO TRANSPORT PRISONERS AT $110,000 A YEAR, THAT’S FINE, BUT DON’T FOOL YOURSELF THAT YOU’RE DOING IT FOR EFFICIENCY.”

thority to transfer, promote, or dismiss deputies at-will. A clause in Virginia state code specifically excludes sheriff ’s offices from the protections afforded under the Law-Enforcement Officers Procedural Guarantee Act. That act provides minimum rights for law enforcement officers across the state who are disciplined, demoted, suspended, or transferred as punishment. The PBA has lobbied against that clause in the past. “They’re at-will employees, so this is kind of the way it works with constitutional officers,” Chapman said, adding that other constitutional officers have also released employees at the start of a new term, and that “as the organizational leaders, I have the right to put people in the position where I think they’re going to perform best for the agency and for the citizens, and that’s what’s paramount to me.” Chapman said he advocates for his deputies, pointing to a retirement multiplier, extra overtime pay, and raises for deputies during his administration. The sheriff ’s Memorandum of Understanding with the county government excludes deputies from the county grievance procedures and gives the sheriff ultimate discretion in his office’s workplace appeals. McGowan says the Virginia code section points to a good reason to replace sheriffs, who are elected, with police chiefs, who are hired by county government. “It appears that anybody who participated in the political process or attended any political events were penalized for doing so,” McGowan said. “Chapman was an endorsed candidate when he ran against Simpson the first time, and we endorsed him, and this is exactly the type of thing in that endorsement process that he promised us he was not going to do.”

forcement officers are already required to complete 40 hours of in-service training every two years to maintain their certification with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Retraining for the new positions, he pointed out, can count toward those hours. He also said bringing officers in new departments not only improves those officers—it improves those departments. “They actually bring that experience with them where they go next,” Chapman said. “For example, if you’ve been an investigator for, say, 15 years, you’re going to bring that knowledge with you.” Sheriff ’s Office Public Information Officer Kraig Troxell highlighted new training that Chapman initiated in his administration, including an 80-hour online ethical leadership class and new supervisor orientation. McGowan rejects that logic. “You won’t get anybody’s intention until you point it out for what it is, which is, by these transfers, he’s taking that institutional knowledge and expertise out of those positions for no reason, and he’s having a direct impact on public safety,” McGowan said. “That’s what it boils down to. If you want to pay a deputy to transport prisoners at $110,000 a year, that’s fine, but don’t fool yourself that you’re doing it for efficiency.” “If somebody’s coming in brand new, you’re not really giving them a chance to learn,” said Woloszyn, president of the PBA’s Fairfax chapter. “You’re just sort of putting them in the hot seat, and that doesn’t benefit anyone.” As sheriff, Chapman has broad au-

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