Wayne Davis is working now to implement some of his goals and priorities for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. He decided to seek the top slot when incumbent Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry announced his July 1 retirement.
Former deputy and School Resource Officer (SRO) Del Mills also is seeking the post in the November election.
“I am fully and completely endorsing Wayne Davis to be the next sheriff of Henry County upon my retirement,” Perry said.
Those sentiments are shared by many co-workers and residents in the community as well.
“Inside the office, there’s been a tremendous outpouring of support,” said Davis, 44. “And I literally have had hundreds upon hundreds of calls and texts from outside the office from people wanting to help.”
Davis said he attributes the support to his willingness to be hands-on, his experience, and “I also have earned the respect of my peers and fellow deputies.”
Because of the unique relationship between Perry and Davis – the two are friends in addition to working together, Davis said Perry has given him the latitude to begin implementing his goals and objectives now.
“I started about a week ago. I’m not waiting,” Davis said last week.
Supportive of local businesses, Davis said he is in the process of visiting “every local business” to talk to owners about needs, services, and the like.
If elected, Davis would appoint a certified community specialist to help with outreach programs for businesses and the community as a whole.
‘I’ll look at new, modernized ways for recruitment and retention” of qualified personnel, Davis said, adding those issues are concerns in most localities.
He also would implement a training program for “our first line supervisors” with the aim of “growing our future leaders and revamp the way we train and mentor” not only those in law enforcement but also those who work in the Adult Detention Center.
Additionally, Davis said he is consistently “exploring new ways to evolve and grow the sheriff’s office,” and he vows to be “the most visible and transparent sheriff we’ve ever had. I’ll make myself available to the community.”
Davis believes his experience makes him the man for the job.
Being sheriff “I don’t think is a role you can assume without taking the steps to get there,” he said, and added he is familiar with each of those steps.
“I’ve worked my way up through the ranks to administration,” he said.
Davis began working at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office in 2000. Nine years later, he earned a supervisory position.
Before that, in 2003, he became an investigator. He also has served as sergeant and lieutenant in the Patrol Division, and lieutenant of Criminal Investigations, where he oversaw major criminal investigations cases.
He became captain of investigations in 2016.
“As captain of investigations, you are working with about every aspect of the office,” Perry said. “If you can successfully do that job, and Wayne has,” Davis will be able to handle the entire operation, particularly given his other experience supervising various units, fulfilling additional duties such as Internal Affairs Investigations and Public Information Officer.
Davis has been a member of the Sheriff’s Office SWAT team for 21 years and served as its Commander for the past seven years. A Virginia Forensic Science Academy graduate, Davis also is nationally certified in internal affairs investigations.
“Each division I’ve worked in, I’ve made improvements, and this is my chance to improve the sheriff’s office for the community and every deputy that works there,” Davis said.
Later this month, he will be awarded certification through the Virginia Sheriff’s Institute Certification program, which recognizes the commitment of Virginia sheriffs and deputies to excellence, lifelong learning, and the advancement of public safety as a profession.
He will be among a small percentage of the more than 8,000 sheriffs and deputies in Virginia to earn certification through the program.
“To me, it is” a big deal, said Davis, who currently is chief deputy – the second highest in command — in the office. When Perry retires, Davis likely will be appointed interim sheriff.
Virginia laws specify that a locality’s governing body, in this case, the Henry County Board of Supervisors, may either schedule a special election, which would be costly to taxpayers, or appoint the highest-ranking deputy in the office to serve until an election is held. Given the tight timeline between Perry’s retirement and the November election, making the necessary preparations needed to hold a special election also could prove difficult.
In the past, supervisors have decided on the latter, appointing Perry to the office of sheriff. The board followed suit with the appointment of Andrew Nester to the Commonwealth’s Attorney post after then-incumbent Bob Bushell retired before his term expired.
When Perry retires, Davis is hopeful the board will take a similar approach. Meanwhile, he’s working his regular shift and campaigning during his off hours.
His campaign is focused on “my credentials to lead the sheriff’s office, what I have done to lead the sheriff’s office, and what I’ll do in the future” if elected, Davis said. “I always lead from the front. What I mean by that is I never asked a deputy to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself.”
With a total staff of nearly 230 and an estimated $20 million budget, Davis said the office also is “responsible for the protection of every citizen. In Henry County, that’s over 50,000 people, and I think that’s a role you would have had to grow into.”
Perry agreed.
“It would be an utter nightmare to think that someone could lead an area law enforcement agency and not be well experienced and qualified,” Perry said. “Anytime the ethics and integrity of a law enforcement agency are called into question, it hurts the entire community.”
