Chief Skinner To Retire
By Greg L | 1 February 2010 | Manassas City | 1 Comment
The Manassas News & Messenger is reporting that Manassas City Police Chief Skinner will retire on May 1, 2010. That’s terribly unfortunate news, as Chief Skinner has done a tremendous job as the second-longest serving Police Chief in Manassas’ history and earned widespread respect for his dedication and competence. This is one man who will sorely be missed.
When local citizens demanded that police departments reform their policies regarding illegal aliens, Chief Skinner was initially very concerned about the suggested changes and argued against them when the Manassas City Council followed through with citizen’s concerns. Since adoption of reform policies in Manassas, Chief Skinner has faithfully executed the changes, never tried to undercut the authority of the Manassas City Council, and through his experience in discharging his duties has become a significant advocate for the reforms Manassas City undertook. The story of how Chief Skinner navigated changes in public policy and law enforcement practices should be a case study for future law enforcement leaders in how to match the highest degree of professionalism and dedication to public safety with the demands of the public policy development process. The results of his leadership in Manassas City speak for themselves, especially when contrasted with surrounding jurisdictions.
Chief Skinner has always been approachable and ready to address the concerns or questions of any resident of the area and his close relationship with the public he serves is a big reason why Manassas City generally enjoys a superior quality of life and positive public safety environment. Despite the typical law enforcement challenges inherent in an urban and semi-urban area, Manassas City is peaceful and safe, and has Chief Skinner to largely thank for that.
Let’s hope Chief Skinner continues his public service in some capacity, as there are lots of public officials, law enforcement officers, and regular citizens who would vastly benefit from his wise counsel and experience. If Governor McDonnell is really smart, he’s going to find a way to lure Chief Skinner into a highly senior position in one of the Commonwealth’s public safety agencies and the benefits we’ve seen in Manassas could potentially be shared with the rest of Virginia.
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
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Greg
The Chief has done a fantastic job for the City of Manassas, and before that with the City of Fairfax. He is a quality individual who has dedicated his entire adulthood to protecting others. Hopefully, the city will be able to land a terrific candidate to replace him. Th Department does have some outstanding leaders that should be considered and I am sure candidates will be looked at from out side the city, let’s just hope we get the right person.
I wish John and his family good health and best wishes as he moves forward with the next phase of his life.
Austin Haynes