Josh King would have a ‘progressive’ way of doing things if elected sheriff

In fact, he said “progressive” at least seven times duing a candidate forum in Manassas.

• King, an Iraq war vet, and a Fairfax County sheriff’s deputy is also two-time Democratic political hopeful seeking to unseat longtime Prince William County Sheriff Glendell Hill.
• He lost in a 2017 Virginia House of Delegates Primary race to current Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy.
• Drug use shouldn’t be a crime, he said at Wednesday’s campaign forum, and officials should do more to treat drug offenders rather than put them behind bars.
• In recent days, he’s received media attention for a $50,000 campaign cash infusion from a super PAC run by George Soros, who supports criminal justice reform.

“In the past 50 years, we’ve focused more on criminals and less on justice,” said King.

Hill, the incumbent, also used the word “progressive” to describe his management style.

• Of the nearly 100 people who work for him, 33% are female, and 36% are minorities.
• He credited his staff for providing good ideas that have been used to better protect the courthouse, the sheriff’s office’s core mission in Prince William County.
• Of his community service programs that are in place, like teaching inmates to be more responsible in hopes to reduce recidivism, or providing ID cars to children, his core function, according to state law, is to simply enforce the law.

“When I got elected sheriff, It was for my record,” said Hill. “It wasn’t for luck. It was for my record.”

Independent Rhonda Dickson is also seeking the sheriff’s job.

• She’s a former Prince William County cop, and one of Hill’s former deputies who retired last year.
• She wants to add a bomb-sniffing dog and K-9 unit at the courthouse.
• She supports background checks for any gun purchaser but doesn’t support “red flag” law that could bar someone from getting a gun based on their mental state.

“Anyone can say that someone has a mental health issue, and then tell law enforcement, and have their 2nd Amendment rights taken away,” said Dickson.

King and Hill sparred over the 287g program, which checks the immigration status of jailed suspects.
Prince William County partner with the Federal Government on the program, and is one of only a handful of jurisdictions in the U.S. to do so.

• The program dates back to the George W. Bush presidency.
• King says the program prevents minorities from workings with police to share information about street crime.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on this program,” said King, who wants to end it. “We can spend more money on programs that keep families together. We’ve been targeting Hispanics for too long.”

Hill is an advocate for the program. He called it a tool in a larger toolbox to protect the community.

“We’ve got Americans [citizens] who won’t come forward to give information. That’s nothing new,” said Hill. It that doesn’t split up families. If it was good enough for President Obama, and President Bush is doing it, and, of course, President Bush did it… the program keeps communities safe.”

King spent a lot of time talking about social issues outside the purview of the sheriff’s office.

• He advocated for higher teacher pay, and for spending more money on public school students.

“Let’s take care of our teachers first, so then our law enforcement can get paid,” said King.

Police, firefighters, and teachers in Prince William County, in the past year, have already received raises.

Now it’s time for civilians who work for the county government to get a pay raise, said Hill.

• County Executive Christopher Martino is working on one such plan.

Voters will head to the polls to choose their sheriff on November 5.