Mike Chapman Named Sheriff of the Year
Sheriff will receive Ferris E. Lucas Award from NSA
Alexandria, VA – Sheriff Mike Chapman from Loudoun County, Virginia, has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) Ferris E. Lucas Sheriff of the Year award. Chapman will be recognized this summer at the NSA’s Annual Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for his contributions to the law enforcement community.
NSA established the Ferris E. Lucas award in 1995 to recognize a sheriff for significant contributions to improving the Office of Sheriff as well as community engagement above and beyond the responsibilities required. The award is given in memory of Ferris E. Lucas, NSA past president (1944-46) and executive director (1964-82), who completed 50 years of distinguished service and leadership in law enforcement.
Chapman has been the Sheriff of Loudoun County since 2012 and is serving his third term. He directs the operations of the largest full-service sheriff’s office in the Commonwealth of Virginia, including law enforcement, the jail, and the courts, and manages a $115M annual budget. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) employs more than 600 sworn deputies and 200 civilian personnel, and serves a population of more than 440,000 and an area of 519 square miles.
In recognizing Sheriff Chapman this year, NSA cites his approach to leadership, stewardship, and innovation, along with his successful efforts to protect the Office of Sheriff from efforts to replace the law enforcement responsibilities of his office with a police department and appointed chief. An independent conversion study conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) affirmed the benefits of a full-service sheriff’s office and the accountability of an elected sheriff directly to the citizens. This study is a definitive reference tool for sheriffs throughout the nation who may face similar challenges.
“I am grateful to the National Sheriffs’ Association for this recognition,” said Chapman. “Many distinguished sheriffs have received the Ferris E. Lucas award and I am honored to be included among these respected public servants.”
“Mike Chapman is a great Sheriff and an even better person,” said NSA Executive Director Jonathan Thompson. “He embodies everything this award was created to recognize, and the peers he serves with on the NSA board see him as a forward-looking leader who is determined to keep his community safe and equip the professionals in his office with the best tools and training to succeed,” he continued.
In 2022, Chapman was appointed to Virginia’s Department of Criminal Justice Services Board by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and named Region VI Director for the Virginia Sheriffs Association Board of Directors. He also serves as Vice President of Homeland Security for the Major County Sheriffs of America and as Chair of the Washington Baltimore High Intensity Trafficking Area Executive Board.
Chapman has spent more than 40 years in law enforcement, including work for the Howard County, Maryland, Police Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and as a Subject Matter Expert on the Global Security/Law Enforcement team at Booz Allen and Hamilton.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION
The National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) is one of the largest non-profit associations of law enforcement professionals in the United States, representing more than 3,000 elected sheriffs across the nation, and has a membership of approximately 14,000 individuals. For the past 82 years, NSA has been dedicated to raising the level of professionalism among sheriffs, deputies, and others in the field of law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice, and serving as a resource for local, state, and federal law enforcement and other government agencies.
