Greg J. Ahlemann

Occupaton: Former Loudoun Deputy.

Education: Some college, no degree.

Elected offices/civic activities: None given.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why should voters elect you?

A: I am the only candidate with a sincere effort to bring ICE (287g) to Loudoun County to deter crime and gang activity by illegal aliens.

Q: What do you think is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction?

A: The rising crimes committed by illegal aliens and their involvement in the rapid growth of violent gangs. This issue has gone unchecked for years. I believe in using the tools we currently have to deter this activity in Loudoun. The best program available to law enforcement is through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) called 287g. Participation in this program will allow our deputies to identify illegal aliens who have committed crimes in Loudoun, for the purpose of deportation. Currently, these individuals are allowed back on our streets and in our communities.

Q: What other challenges do you think the sheriff's office will face over the next four years, and how will you meet those challenges?

A: In addition to the illegal immigration problem, I believe the threat of increasing gang violence and homeland security / terrorism issues to be the most serious problems our county and our country will face in the next decade and beyond. To deal effectively with these issues we will need to be more aggressive and proactive. Currently, we send our deputies out to pick up trash and pull weeds in parks as well as giving candy out at parades and public events. I would rather use this kind of wasted tax dollars to increase the size of our gang unit and give more training to our deputies. Training for hostage situations or violence in our schools does not make news and therefore has been neglected by our current sheriff. While I hope Loudoun never has to deal with it, we must prepare for tragic incidents we have seen across the country (Va Tech, Columbine, etc.). The sheriff must be more concerned for the safety of our deputies and our citizens than his political career. I will bring this positive change to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

Q: What will you do to ensure that the county's crime-fighting resources keep pace with population growth?

A: The first step in keeping pace with the population growth is to do a better job of retaining our deputies. We are losing far too many veterans to other departments and federal agencies because of morale issues with in the Sheriff's Office. Secondly, we must reach out to surrounding jurisdictions and begin training with them on a regular basis. The general public should be bothered by the lack of cross jurisdictional training that our deputies receive under the current administration. An example I often use is my own experience. I completed Fairfax County's Motorcycle School in 2002. This was one of the most difficult schools I ever attended. Unfortunately, after completing this school I never trained with Fairfax again! Since 9/11, this failure to cross train is unacceptable. As the next sheriff, I will reach out to and train with these neighboring jurisdictions.

Q: What is the appropriate role for the sheriff's office in enforcement of federal immigration laws, and how do you view the current debate in Loudoun on the issue of illegal immigration?

A: I believe the Sheriff's Office should have had some of our deputies trained by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) years ago. This training, also known as 287g, has been available since 1996. The ICE program allows our deputies to identify illegal aliens who have been convicted of crimes in Loudoun County, and begin the deportation process. Presently, we are allowing dangerous criminal aliens back onto our streets, neighborhoods and schools because we don't have full access to the federal database. On November 20th of last year an illegal alien from Sterling, who was already wanted for deportation, killed a Herndon man. The Loudoun Sheriff's Office had this suspect in our custody 5 times prior to this murder but because we did not have ICE training, he was allowed to go free every time. As the next sheriff, I will get this training for our deputies and will use it effectively to deal with criminal illegal aliens. As for the current debate over illegal immigration, I say where has this been for the past 4 to 8 years as the problem was mounting? Mr. Simpson changed his stance on this issue 1 month before losing the Republican nomination. He should have acted on this before areas like Sterling Park became a have for illegal aliens and the criminal activity that has followed.

Your Thoughts...

Results of a county survey indicate 92 percent of Loudoun residents think highly of the county's quality of life. How do you rank it?