ELECTION 2023: Henrico Sheriff – Harold Ford (independent) vs. Alisa Gregory (Democrat)

Running as an independent, Harold Ford will challenge incumbent Democrat Alisa Gregory for her position as Henrico sheriff in November. Gregory is seeking her second term in office after winning the position in the 2019 election with 56.1% of the vote. Her Republican challenger Bob Matson received 30.9% of the vote, while independent challenger Tom Wadkins received 12.7%.

The sheriff’s office is responsible for providing security in the county courthouse and jails and inmate rehabilitation through a variety of programs, ranging from vocational to educational. Additionally, the office executes mental health commitment orders.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Gregory raised $2,642 in the most recent filing period, between Sept. 1 and 30. In 2023, she has raised $3,650 and maintains an overall balance of $11,249 as of the latest filing deadline, Oct. 15. Ford raised $6,300 in the most recent filing period. Overall this year, he has raised $31,111 and has a current balance of $1,686 as of the latest filing period.

Alisa Gregory

Gregory has a bachelor’s degree in human resource management with a minor in leadership and a master's degree in disaster science, both from the University of Richmond. She worked in the post office before becoming a deputy at Regional Jail East in Barhamsville. Before becoming chief deputy, she also worked in alternative sentencing, training, administrative services, programs and quality assurance. When elected as sheriff in 2019, she became the first female and first Black person to hold the office.

If elected to another term, Gregory wants to continue to expand on the programs of her predecessor, longtime Republican Sheriff Mike Wade. Soon after she assumed office in 2019, Gregory said that the COVID-19 pandemic delayed her plans to expand upon developing programming and diversion.

“We had to learn how to manage and exist safely when the whole world was shutting down,” she said. “And so we didn't have the ability to shut down. We still had people that had to have due process. They had to go through the legal system. Trying to figure out how to do that safely was a challenge, to say the least.”

Despite the challenges that COVID-19 posed to the sheriff’s office, Gregory is proud of what she and her office have been able to accomplish over the last four years. According to data provided to the Henrico Citizen by the sheriff’s office, there are currently 1,048 inmates in both Jail West and Jail East. That number has decreased from a total of 1,403 inmates when Gregory was elected in 2019. She said she sees the decrease in the jail populations during her tenure as a testament to the success of programs like Recovery In a Secure Environment (R.I.S.E.) and Opiate Recovery Based on Intensive Tracking (O.R.B.I.T).

Gregory also sees the strides made in mental health as a highlight of her time in office. In 2020, she oversaw the introduction of a mental health diversion team. Additionally, the sheriff’s office has obtained a grant to start its first Medically Assisted Treatment (M.A.T.) program for those with substance use disorder.

According to Gregory, one of the primary challenges facing the Henrico County sheriff’s office is that of low staffing. Earlier this year, however, Henrico County created the Encore Program to help combat the number of vacancies in public safety positions. The program allows retired deputies and police officers to return to the workforce at their last rate of pay. Gregory said 59 positions have been filled through the program, which has helped fill some of the gaps in the sheriff’s office.

If reelected, Gregory said she looks forward to continuing to serve in public service and building on existing programs. She already has plans to expand the Summer Basic Jailor Academy, which allows college students to earn certification as a jailor or sheriff’s deputy, to high school seniors.

In September, Gregory, alongside the Commonwealth of Virginia and Henrico County, agreed to pay an $8.5 million settlement to the family of Irvo Otieno, a 28-year-old Black man who died in the custody of seven Henrico sheriff’s deputies as he was being admitted to Central State Hospital March 6. His death was ruled a homicide, and the state medical examiner’s office concluded he died of “positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints.” While Gregory has agreed to the settlement, neither she, the county, or the state has admitted any liability in his death.

Harold Ford

Ford is a graduate of Franklin Military Academy and served in the United States Marine Corps before joining the Richmond City Police Department in 1997 and served there for more than two decades. In 2019, he sought the Democratic nomination for sheriff but lost in the primary to Gregory. This election year, however, Ford is running as an independent.

“Being an independent, I owe no loyalty to any political party and my loyalty will be to the citizens of Henrico. And running as an independent, I think it allows me to make a strong commitment to the people, and it allows me to work with both parties.”

Ford said that addressing staffing issues would be his primary goal if elected sheriff. Data from the sheriff’s office shows a total of 98 current vacancies.

“With that type of vacancy, morale goes down,” Ford said. “Nothing can go forward without proper staffing. I’m going to focus on training and staff support because there is a lack of support right now. I will achieve that through providing support for law enforcement and building stronger partnerships within our community.”

Ford said that more than 50 former deputies and law enforcement officers from both Henrico and surrounding counties have reached out to him and said if he is elected, they will apply for a job in his office.

Advocating mental health is another key component of Ford’s campaign. He wants to create an administrative leadership role in the sheriff’s office for a qualified mental health professional. Ford said that such leadership would greatly help how the office operates. Additionally, he wants to provide intensive mental health training for staff members and ensure appropriate treatment for inmates with mental health diagnoses.

In speaking to members of the community, Ford said that transparency and customer service are major concerns. He said that in order to maintain the public’s trust, the sheriff must maintain a transparent relationship with constituents and keep them informed. If elected, he plans to hold regularly scheduled press conferences so that the public can stay informed.

“One thing I have done in my campaign is ask the citizens questions like, ‘what do you want to see from the sheriff’s office?’ Ultimately, if elected as sheriff, I work for the people.”