Focused on opioid crisis, Oxley seeks Stafford sheriff post

Chad Oxley is running to be the next Stafford County Sheriff.

Name: Chadwick “Chad” Oxley

Party: Independent

Town: Stafford

Running for: Sheriff

Website: facebook.com/oxley4sheriff

Work: Consultant, retired law enforcement officer.

Education: Brookfield High School, Brookfield, Ohio

Community Involvement: I have been a resident of Stafford County for the past 20 years. My wife and I own a home and several small businesses that are based out of Stafford. I have spent the last 16 years as law enforcement officer serving Stafford County and year before that in Richmond, and an eight-year Army Veteran. Just by the very nature of the job you are intimately involved with the community on daily basis solving problems for citizens who are oftentimes in crisis. In, an addition I am a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Lodge Aerie 4488 in Stafford where we raise funds for various charities such as the Fairy Godmother Project. I am a member of the Stafford NAACP Chapter, in which the services that are provided by this outstanding organization speaks for themselves in fighting for equality. I also belong to the Moose Lodge and just recently transferred to the Stafford Lodge 2215. If you’re not familiar with this organization this is another phenomenal organization that runs the MOOSEHEART Child City School Inc. and the Moosehaven this organization is about giving back to the communities.

Questions and Answers

PL: What are the top three major issues facing the district you wish to represent? 

Oxley: Community engagement, school safety, and the opioid crisis.

PL: What concrete solutions do you propose to address these issues?

Oxley: The Opioid Crisis is crippling our communities and killing our citizens. What we have been doing is not working. I believe in thinking outside the box and being an Independent Candidate I can make bold new moves without party line arguments. I have proposed the following plan to address the opioid crisis.

THE OPIOID CRISIS: My plan to address the Opioid crisis involves several areas that I intend to enhance if elected. 1. Education 2. Develop a Multiple Discipline Team (MDT) 3. Narcan 4. Employment Opportunities post-arrest/treatment 5. Treatment 6. Enforcement 7. Criminal Justice reform or  Community Engagement: I have knocked on thousands of doors and spoke with thousands of people during this election cycle. I have had the luxury of people telling me the truth rather than not wanting what I want to hear since I am a private citizen with no affiliation to the Sheriff’s Office. I’ve learned that I need to be responsive, available and when a citizen requests a meeting with your elected official it should be granted. For years you always heard the phrase for employees that you serve at the pleasure of the Sheriff. Well, the Sheriff serves at the pleasure of the citizens. Additionally, I have received exceptional guidance from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office who has over 150 community outreach programs. We don’t have time to waste and I’m not a fan of reinventing the wheel. I intend to mirror their programs. Additionally, I will host quarterly town halls at the sheriff’s office where citizens will have access to executive staff to voice their concerns in a forum where we can collectively resolve issues or concerns. School Safety is a critical issue. With school shootings on the rise, it is imperative that we find innovative ways to fill those schools with cops. The schools that I’m talking about lacking SRO’s are our elementary school. Several things have surfaced as a result of my stance on this, which were those against cops in schools in regards to the pipeline to prison concern and recently my opponent eluded during a recent NAACP Forum that the Stafford County School Superintendent was not interested in filling elementary schools with security (armed cops), but rather SRO’s. I am confident if this is the case we can find middle ground, but I will not leave the most vulnerable children as soft targets who are unable to defend themselves.

PL: From your perspective, what is the job description of the office you’re seeking?

Oxley: The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county. Responsible for enforcing traffic and criminal laws, court security, service of civil process and a sitting member of the jail board. Above all the sheriff serves at the pleasure of the people and should ensure that the community is the number one priority. We should always strive to make the community safer and bridge the gap between law enforcement and our minority communities. The sheriff should be accessible to the people and accountable to the people. Develop and maintain working relationships with law enforcement counterparts, and other elected officials in order to find a middle ground to get the people’s business done.

PL: What expertise will you bring to the office?

Oxley: I bring to the office a substantial amount of life and professional experience. I have had the fortune to travel abroad and have learned about the cultures from all around the world. I grew up in Ohio and traveled all across the U.S. while serving in the military. I have called Stafford Home for 20 years with 16 of those serving as law enforcement officer in Stafford. I served as Detective, Detective 1st Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Patrol Sergeant, and Deputy. My opponent boasts a 33-year law enforcement career with over 23 years of executive command experience. While that is certainly commendable I bring a different perspective to the table. I have been in the front lines of dealing with the community and victims daily. I have faced the perpetrators of serious crimes eye to eye. I know the programs that were implemented that work and what does not. More importantly, I will bring to the table the ability, putting pride aside, to ask for honest feedback from the rank and file. Therefore, if we implement a program that doesn’t end up working, we will adjust it to make it successful or make the decision not to continue with it.

PL: Do you feel that the average citizen is well-informed and understands the workings of local government?

Oxley: I do feel the average citizen is well-informed and has an understanding of local government. I, however, feel like the local government should make a better effort to better inform and educate the average citizen. Specifically to the sheriff’s office, I see a need to capitalize on the education of the sheriff’s office with the public. I envision an opportunity to explain the working of the sheriff’s office and some of the characteristics of the law enforcement profession to our community. I believe this attempt and maintaining transparency will bridge gaps and inform citizens of how their equities are being managed well.

PL: Have you ever made any mistakes in your public life? How have they affected you?

Oxley: Absolutely! I’m human and we all make mistakes. I’ve learned the difference between making mistakes and making poor decisions. So the mistakes I’ve made in my public life have served as lessons. Lessons that I plan to grow from and reference once I am elected sheriff to drive decision-making and make positive change.

PL: Our readers want leaders in local government. Why should they vote for you?

Oxley: Excellent question. One of my commitments is to bring leadership that has both a good balance of formal education and experience. My goal is for all professionals within the sheriff’s office to find a future being life-long learners and pursue those development tools that will enhance their contributions leading to better service for the community. I can tell you from experience the culture I left from at the Stafford sheriff’s Office praised complacency and not “making waves.” Although their needs to be discipline and order within law enforcement professionals, the current trend for law enforcement Agencies is to be more integrated in every sense of the word. Integrated in response, with the community, special groups, and all demographics. This what leadership is about. Doubt has killed more dreams than failure has and this is why readers should vote for me.