Nelson County Sheriff Mark Embrey stood in front of Nelson Circuit Court Judge Michael R. Doucette on Dec. 20 in what was his final requirement before officially stepping into office.
With his right hand raised and more than 50 current and former law enforcement, family, friends and other county officials present in the district courtroom in Lovingston, Embrey swore that he will serve the people of Nelson County to the best of his ability.
Following the ceremony, Embrey told the Nelson County Times that it was “a good day,” putting an emphasis on the individuals who will work in the department.
“We got some good folks coming in, a lot of seasoned veterans, tenured folks; so today was about them and their families,” he said.
Glenn Phillips, who also was sworn in to be the county’s chief deputy, said it was nice to see “a good friend” get sworn in as sheriff.
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“It was pretty emotional, actually,” Phillips said.
Phillips, who has served in law enforcement for 37 years, said Embrey came to him around this time last year about the possibility of joining Embrey’s bid to become sheriff.
Phillips, retired at the time, jokingly said Embrey gave him a good sales pitch but his vision and the people of Nelson County inspired him to leave retirement and serve.
He said it was worth coming out of retirement.
“I’m excited to see how much of his vision he’s able to get done in these four years,” Phillips said.
Embrey won the race for the county’s highest law officer in November against Sheriff David Hill, receiving close to 3,400 votes.
Hill served as the county’s sheriff since 2016.
During Embrey’s campaign, one of his goals was to fully staff the department.
He said the department is “not quite there yet” in terms of staffing but he’s working toward it.
“I firmly believe by late January, early February, we’ll be there,” he said.
A Nelsonian from Shipman, Embrey graduated from Nelson County High School in 1995.
From high school, Embrey went on to receive an associate’s degree from Piedmont Virginia Community College in 1997 and a bachelor’s degree in December 1999 from Radford University.
This would lead to a 20-year career in law enforcement, working his last few years in the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office.
He then left to pursue an opportunity in the private sector after meeting the minimum retirement requirements.
Embrey said law enforcement was “always a calling” for him, adding that public service and inspiration by his father led him to the profession.
“My father was employed with the Virginia Department of Forestry, he was a fire chief and I always looked up to him and I wanted to be in public service the way he was. I just wanted to take a little bit of a different route, so law enforcement was the direction that I chose and I’m better for it,” he said.
Looking ahead to January, Embrey said staffing is a top priority.
He also added he wants to tackle the drug epidemic and get D.A.R.E taught in the county’s elementary schools.
Embrey also wants to have a visible presence on the corridors, such as Virginia 151, Virginia 6 and Virginia 29.
“I really want to focus on those and I want to be visible in the community. I really do. I want the community to see our presence … feel it and I want to be transparent with the community about what we’re doing,” he said.
In terms of added transparency, Embrey said he wants to have quarterly town halls and added they should be the first Thursday of every four months.
At the town halls, Embrey said he wants to report on the department’s enforcement initiatives, where the department is on criminal investigations as far as the number, and the sheriff plans to bring a different deputy with him each meeting.
“I’m going to travel throughout the county to a different venue to host that, to give people the opportunity to see me, hear me and take questions as long as it takes. I feel that’s what the public in the county has lacked,” he said.
Daniel Rutherford, commonwealth’s attorney for Nelson County, told the Nelson County Times that his office is looking forward to a positive relationship with Embrey and his staff, adding he has a good team.
“My office will always be here pursuing justice,” he said.
Embrey said the residents of Nelson County can expect enforcement, transparency and accountability from him as sheriff, but he emphasized that the agency is not only about him, it’s about the deputies and staff in the department.
“The future is bright for us,” he said.