What other people have said about Senator Ken Cuccinelli’s support for law enforcement.

I did a post earlier this week detailing the stuff I know Senator Ken Cuccinelli has done in support of law enforcement. Now read what other people have said:

The Virginian-Pilot, February 23, 2005 ((Heinatz, Stephanie. “Bill grants officers overtime pay for hours worked while on vacation.” Virginian-Pilot. 23 Feb. 2005: B5. LexisNexis.)):

The House of Delegates is expected to vote this week on SB873, an amendment that includes law enforcement employees in the overtime compensation definition for public safety personnel. It spells out that police officers, like their fire and rescue counterparts, are entitled to overtime pay for hours worked while on vacation or any other form of leave.

[…]

Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, II, R-Centreville, introduced the bill last month as the next step in bringing better compensation to public safety workers. In 2001 the General Assembly extended the overtime benefit to fire and rescue workers.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 20, 2006 ((Smith, Tammie. “Legislators reject new birth-certificate rules; Bill would have limited same-sex couples who adopt children in Virginia.” Richmond Times-Dispatch. 20 Jan. 2006: A-06. LexisNexis.)):

• Sent to a special study committee two bills that would allow permit some seriously mentally ill people to be ordered into outpatient treatment. Supporters of the bills from Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, D-Richmond, and Cuccinelli said recent high-profile killings are examples of what happens when mental illness robs people of the ability to understand how sick they are. In the cases, a Richmond-area woman was killed by an ex-boyfriend diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He then shot himself, police reports say. And on Christmas Day, a Northern Virginia man with a history of “emotional problems” killed himself and four others, police say.

The Washington Post, May 18, 2006 ((Jackman, Tom and Theresa Vargas. “In Mourning Again For a Fairfax Officer; Second Victim of Police Station Shooting Dies.” Washington Post. 18 May 2006: B01. LexisNexis.)):

State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-Centreville) was a neighbor of Garbarino’s. He said that Garbarino was a deeply faithful member of the Russian Orthodox Church and that Garbarino and Armel “both put their service to the community into the context of their faith.”

The Washington Times, May 18, 2006 ((Cella, Matthew and Gary Emerling. “Fairfax cop dies of attack wounds; Gate broken for 3 months.” Washington Times. 18 May 2006: A01. LexisNexis.)):

Sen. Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli II, Fairfax County Republican, got to know Officer Garbarino when they went door to door campaigning and when the officer talked the state senator into going on a police ride-along with him last summer.

“He had a very proactive approach,” Mr. Cuccinelli said yesterday. “Before waiting for something to rise to the level of criminal activity he’d go knock on the door and speak to the mother of the person of concern.”

Mr. Cuccinelli said that Officer Garbarino was married and had two daughters, ages 10 and 13, and that he was eligible for retirement at 25 years of service.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 21, 2006 ((Trice, Calvin R. “Funeral held for slain officer; Fairfax policeman who died of ambush injuries chose to work in the field, friends say.” Richmond Times-Dispatch. 21 May 2006: B-1. LexisNexis.)):

State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, fought back tears several times during his remarks. At one point, he turned to Garbarino’s daughters and told them their father was a leader, a teacher and a hero.

“He’s a father you can be proud of forever,” he said.

The Washington Times, May 21, 2006 ((Lively, Tarron. “Fairfax police mourn another loss; Eulogize second ambush victim.” Washington Times. 21 May 2006: A09. LexisNexis.)):

Police said Officer Garbarino managed to call in a warning to officers inside the station, even after being hit five times.

“His first concern was not for himself, but for his fellow officers,” state Sen. Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli II, Fairfax County Republican, said tearfully.

The Washington Post, May 29, 2006 ((Jackman, Tom. “Rules Separate Mentally Ill From Treatment; With ‘Imminent Danger’ Requirement and Scant Resources Keeping Help Out of Reach, Some Become Violent.” Washington Post. 29 May 2006: B01. LexisNexis.)):

State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R-Centreville), a friend of Garbarino’s, proposed laws in the last legislative session that would have provided for more outpatient commitments and more legal help for families of the mentally ill. Both proposals failed, he said.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 23, 2007 ((Whitely, Tyler. “Cuccinelli’s bill takes aim at reporters; Press groups protest measure he says will help grieving people.” Richmond Times-Dispatch. 23 Jan. 2007. LexisNexis.)):

Press groups are attacking the constitutionality of a bill aimed at stopping reporters who go onto someone’s property to inquire about a death or other personal loss.

“It’s aimed at scuzzball reporters who have not a shred of human decency,” said the sponsor, Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax.

[…]

Cuccinelli said the bill stems from an incident in Fairfax last year in which three reporters went onto the property of a Fairfax police officer who had been killed.

“One was literally staring through the window while the dad was explaining to his two daughters why mom was not coming home,” he said.

Cuccinelli said, “It is not a situation that is widespread, but is not uncommon either at lots of tragedies.”

The measure would make people who go onto residential property when they have reason to believe that the resident suffered a substantial personal, physical, mental or emotional loss or injury guilty of trespassing if they go onto the property within a week of the incident.

The Washington Post, January 27, 2007 ((Gardner, Amy. “Virginia Briefing.” Washington Post. 27 Jan. 2007: B03. LexisNexis.)):

After the shooting of two police officers in Fairfax County last year, a local TV crew tried to interview the family of one of the slain officers.

That prompted Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R-Fairfax) to introduce a bill to block what he calls “scuzzball” journalists from bothering families who have suffered a loss.

The Washington Post, September 6, 2007 ((Gardner, Amy. “Cuccinelli Struggles To Appease His Base; Vote Prompts Dissent From Right.” Washington Post 6 Sept 2007: B01. LexisNexis.)):

Cuccinelli’s base consists of many single-issue voters for whom lower taxes are less important than, say, abortion or gun rights. He is also popular among police officers; about 10 percent of the Fairfax County police force lives in his district, he said.

The Washington Post, November 1, 2007 ((Cuccinelli, Kenneth T. “Kenneth T. Cuccinelli (R).” Washington Post. 1 Nov. 2007: VA31. LexisNexis.)), quoting Sen. Cuccinelli:

What is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction?

“During my tenure in the Senate, we’ve increased transportation spending from $6 billion to over $9 billion, and I have helped the communities in my district with traffic flow and safety improvements. I have also been endorsed by the Fairfax Coalition of Police because of my commitment to public safety. Bringing more education funds home from Richmond to Fairfax and removing the incentives for illegal immigration have also been top legislative priorities for me. I have also been an effective advocate for those with mental illnesses and disabilities, helping those who can’t help themselves.”

AP State & Local Wire, March 31, 2008 ((Lewis, Bob. “Cuccinelli to make Republican run for Va. attorney general.” The Associated Press State & Local Wire. 31 Mar. 2008. LexisNexis.)):

But Cuccinelli, a lawyer in private practice, has much more quietly established himself as an authority in the General Assembly on issues affecting the mentally ill.

[…]

Cuccinelli, however, was sponsoring legislation to tighten Virginia’s broken system of identifying and treating the mentally ill by court fiat if necessary long before the Tech killings.

Since 2004, Cuccinelli has authored nearly 30 bills on the issue, including six during the 2007 session that dealt with judicial commitments for those needing mental health services.

Weeks later, the Tech massacre was carried out by Seung-Hui Cho, a student who had slipped through the mental health care system despite behavior that repeatedly alarmed members of the university’s faculty, administration, police and other students. A court’s order that Cho receive help was futile.

In the 2008 session, Cuccinelli was the Senate’s top authority on the issue as the General Assembly enacted a broad slate of mental health reforms in response to the carnage.

The Washington Post, October 16, 2008 ((Jackman, Tom. “Families of Two Slain Officers Get $300,000 Each; Teen’s Parents Were Sued for Negligence.” Washington Post. 16 Oct. 2008: VA04. LexisNexis.)):

The tragic tale of Detective Vicky O. Armel and Officer Michael S. Garbarino, two Fairfax County police officers who were shot to death by a mentally ill teenager in 2006, ended quietly in a Fairfax courtroom late last month when their families settled their lawsuits against the youth’s parents for $300,000 each.

Some details emerged during the course of the suit, which came from the meticulous investigation by Fairfax homicide detectives, according to Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, the attorney for both families and a longtime friend of Garbarino’s. The two sides mainly agreed on the facts of the May 8, 2006, shooting behind the Sully police station because lead Detective Robert J. Murphy and others “literally tracked every second of each bit player in this drama,” Cuccinelli said. “They could tell you where each person was. They put it all back together.”

Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 18, 2008 ((Nolan, Jim and Tyler Whitley. “Governor: More cuts are possible.” Richmond Times-Dispatch. 18 Dec. 2008: A-1. LexisNexis.)):

Republicans also questioned Kaine’s proposed change to release nonviolent prisoners up to 90 days early, which would save about $5 million a year.

“One of the advances of the last 13 years was the abolition of parole,” said Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, one of three GOP lawmakers seeking the party’s nomination to run for attorney general. “This breaks with the public trust.”

AP State & Local Wire, February 18, 2009 ((Potter, Dena. “House, Senate set up budget negotiations.” Associated Press State & Local Wire. 18 Feb. 2009. LexisNexis.)):

The Senate committee retained a provision that would allow for the early release of nonviolent offenders, but reduced the number of eligible inmates by about 500. Kaine proposed releasing about 1,100 inmates 90 days early to save money.

It was that provision that drew the only complaints from Republicans.

Sen. Kenneth Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, warned that letting prisoners out early would be the “abolition of the abolition of parole.” Virginia’s 15-year-old truth-in-sentencing law has been a point of pride for Republicans.

The Washington Post, February 25, 2009 ((Kunkle, Frederick. “Fairfax Senator’s Unlikely Stand; Death Penalty Bill Opposed.” Washington Post. 25 Feb. 2009: B01. LexisNexis.)):

Cuccinelli is a supporter of capital punishment and has backed other measures to expand its use, including a bill this year to broaden the definition of law enforcement officers whose killing could be punished by the death penalty. Under that bill, sponsored by Del. Brenda L. Pogge (R-York), the state could seek the death penalty for any person who killed an auxiliary police officer, auxiliary sheriff’s deputy, a fire marshal or an assistant fire marshal with police powers.