Issue Position: Public Safety

Issue Position: Public Safety

Keeping Virginia Safe and Secure

His first job as a public servant was as his hometown's elected chief prosecutor--Senator Deeds knows first hand what it means to be tough on crime and keep our communities safe. After four years of bringing sexual predators and violent criminals to justice, he brought that knowledge and experience to the Virginia legislature where his colleagues entrusted him to lead the way on victim's rights and keeping us safe and secure.

For two decades Senator Deeds has been fighting in the legislature for tougher penalties for violent criminals and giving our law enforcement officers the training and tools they need to keep Virginians safe.

Protecting Our Children

When a child is missing, police officers and law enforcement experts know those first minutes and hours are the most critical. To give our communities a new tool to track and find missing children, Deeds introduced Virginia's Amber Alert program. Since that time, an Amber Alert has been issued 23 times and thankfully led the rescue of 21 children.

Recently Deeds worked to increase by over $1 million funding for Alicia's Law, a proposal Deeds introduced and carried on behalf of the National Organization to Protect Children. This new legislation provides increased capacity for Virginia's two Internet Crimes Against Children task forces to find and prosecute child predators.

Did You Know?

Senator Deeds led the way in creating and strengthening the sex offender registry. He not only helped create the registry in 1994, but wrote Megan's Law, which put the list of sexual predators on the Internet.

Combating Drugs

When home-grown methamphetamine labs were wreaking havoc on our communities--from the rural areas of Southwest Virginia to urban enclaves in Hampton Roads--Senator Deeds didn't just speak up; he took action. This terrible drug, and the devastating consequences of making it in homes, was spreading around the Commonwealth. Law enforcement experts told Deeds that one in six home meth labs explode or catch fire. Even labs that don't have accidents leave a toxic residue that sickens families--especially children--for years after these illegal drug makers have moved on.

This is why Senator Deeds made combating meth a top priority. While it is commonplace these days to look for your cold or allergy medicine behind the counter at your local drug store, it took real leadership to change the laws that allowed home methamphetamine labs to produce their poison. Deeds passed the legislation requiring that over-the-counter drugs used by illegal drug makers to manufacture meth be taken off the shelf and put behind the counter.

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