Albemarle sheriff – C-VILLE Weekly

Ronnie Roberts runs for Albemarle sheriff

In elections, it often comes down to name recognition, and former Charlottesville police lieutenant Ronnie Roberts has it. The Albemarle native spent most of his 44-year career in law enforcement working for the city police department, where he rose through the ranks and served as a well-known spokesman.

Roberts announced his candidacy for Albemarle sheriff April 4 in front of the Albemarle courthouse with several dozen supporters present. His old boss, former Charlottesville police chief Tim Longo, introduced Roberts as a man of “honor, dignity, and commitment” with an “unwavering moral compass.”

Also present were several retired top cops, including former city chief Buddy Rittenhouse and former Albemarle sheriff Ed Robb. Not present was Roberts’ former CPD colleague and current Albemarle sheriff, Chip Harding, who has endorsed Chief Deputy Chan Bryant to succeed him.

Roberts, 64, retired from the Charlottesville Police Department in 2014, and took on the job of Louisa chief of police.

He recalled his walks as a lad in Charlottesville past parked Virginia State Police cars. The troopers showed him the inside of their patrol cars. “That walk stayed in my mind,” he said, and influenced his decision to go into law enforcement.

It also brought an awareness of the importance of community policing. “I came to realize I could relate to people,” he said.

“Putting community first” is the theme of his campaign. “I want to take the Albemarle Sheriff’s Office to the next level as a nationally accredited sheriff’s office,” of which there are only four in Virginia, he said.

He also wants to focus on domestic violence, mental health reform, gang activity, and elder abuse. The sheriff’s office is primarily responsible for court security and prisoner transport.

Roberts said he’d been asked by business leaders and county residents to join the race, which has three other candidates: Dems Bryant and Patrick Estes, a UVA football and NFL alum, who will face off in the June 11 primary, and possibly Republican Mike Wagner, a lieutenant with Albemarle police who has filed but has not formally announced a campaign.

Roberts is running as an independent.

Republican sheriff backs Dem deputy

Albemarle Chief Deputy Chan Bryant got an unusual endorsement when she announced her run for sheriff as a Democrat January 30. Her boss, Republican Sheriff Chip Harding, introduced her and said that in his nearly 50 years of service in the justice system, she was in the top 5 percent of law enforcement supervisors with whom he’s worked.

And while Bryant’s candidacy is historic—she’s the first female to run for sheriff since the office was founded in 1745—Harding, who is not seeking reelection, says that’s not why he’s supporting her.

“I am endorsing Chan because she has done an outstanding job in every position she has been in,” he says.

Bryant, 49, wanted to be in law enforcement since she was a teen in Greene County. After stints as a county reserve officer, an EMT, a Madison deputy and a Scottsville patrol officer, she started full-time in the Albemarle sheriff’s office in 2006. “I have worked my way up the chain of command,” and worked closely with the sheriff in every department, she says.

She’d like to bring back the DARE program in schools. While some question the effectiveness of the once-pervasive Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, Bryant says it could be about more than drugs, and address peer pressure, bullying, and good decision-making.

She also envisions a safety program for seniors, because the department gets phone calls from people from out of state asking that deputies check up on elderly relatives.

Bryant leads the office’s 100-member search and rescue team, and she is commander of the reserves.

Around 10 deputies were present for her announcement, and Harding said the office’s full-time staff voted her “deputy of the year” for her efforts in improving the agency. The Elks Club also named her central Virginia law enforcement officer of the year.

Sheriff Chip Harding says Chan Bryant is one of the top cops he’s ever worked with. staff photo

Bryant says nothing makes her happier than hearing her colleagues say, “I love my job.”

She praises Harding’s mentoring, and says he encouraged her to run.

“I don’t look at it as being the first female,” she says. “It’s about being the most capable.”

Lieutenant Mike Wagner with the Albemarle County Police Department says he’s also a candidate in the November 5 election, but is not certain whether he will run as a Republican.