PRINCE EDWARD — Wesley W. Reed has announced his candidacy for a second term as Prince Edward County sheriff.

A native of Prince Edward and a graduate of Prince Edward County High School, he has been married to Joyce Reed for more than 36 years. They have three sons and 10 grandchildren who are cherished dearly.

Reed, the Democratic Party nominee, received his law enforcement certification from the Central Virginia Criminal Justice Academy and has more than 31 years of law enforcement experience; his career as an officer is representative of 23 years as an investigator and 12 years as chief deputy of the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Office.  He is also completing his first term as Sheriff.

Reed said in a release that his primary goal is the safety of the county’s citizens, its visitors, as well as his deputies, and that his expectations for his employees are to ensure that they keep up with changing law enforcement techniques and to always provide them with updated equipment.

Reed offers in the release that he is a fair and impartial man who expects no less from the deputies who serve in his administration. He said he believes in modernization and has met all of the goals for change he created during his first campaign and said he has incorporated mutual aid agreements with other local and state agencies such as Farmville Police Department, Hampden-Sydney Campus Police, Longwood University Campus Police, Virginia State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and Virginia Department of Conservation.

“These agreements were developed so that the community can be served more effectively, increase positive working relationships, and to increase information-sharing about crime,” Reed said in a release.

He said he has also developed a positive working relationship with the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors and School Board.

Reed, the release adds, meets with all the agencies listed for intelligence meetings and as a proactive measure for conducting department business.

Under the direction of Reed, the agency received state law enforcement accreditation with the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC) and continues to ensure it is maintained, according to the release. This accreditation often takes many years for a department or office to obtain and is even harder work to continue, he cited.

Reed said his goals for accreditation are to work diligently to keep it in place, make precise changes as needed, continue to develop proficiently sound policies and procedures, and to receive re-accreditation in 2017.  Reed, along with the Farmville Police Department, Longwood University Campus Police, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Hampden-Sydney College Campus Police, and the Virginia State Police, formed the Piedmont Drug & Gang Task Force to assist all agencies in the reduction of crime. This unit has been very successful in reducing drug-related crimes. Reed cites that since he has been sheriff, the crime rate has been reduced by 60 percent.

He cites in the release experience that includes supervision of the operational system of the sheriff’s office, police certifications for specialized training, and an established relationship with local, state, federal and community agencies.

Reed also details community commitment that includes serving on the Department of Alcoholic

Beverage Control expert panel, establishing Neighborhood Watch programs, receiving the VLEPSC accreditation, senior citizen phone patrol program, highway safety project, residential check program, business check program, service on the Piedmont Regional Jail board, community crisis intervention team, sexual assault response team, that he is chairman of Trustee Ministry of Levi Baptist Church, is a member of New Bethel Community Male  Chorus, and past member of Randolph Masonic Lodge 30.