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Roanoke legislative committee backs police requests on certification, juvenile gun access and fentanyl penalties
Summary
Roanoke’s legislative committee agreed to advance three public-safety priorities — interstate law-enforcement reciprocity, enhanced penalties for adults who give firearms to minors, and mandatory minimums for fentanyl offenses — and asked staff and the city’s legislative liaison to pursue options with state partners.
Chair Trish White Boyd said the legislative committee would forward a set of department requests to the city’s legislative liaison after department leaders presented brief summaries of their proposals.
Deputy Chief Adam Puckett told the committee the proposed “interstate reciprocity for law enforcement” would let officers certified in other states work in Virginia without duplicative recertification so long as they meet Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) standards. “The consistency in the standards … should help with the mobility of police officers moving between states,” he said, arguing reciprocity would strengthen recruitment and retention.
Deputy Chief Crawley asked the General Assembly to consider an upgraded penalty for adults who provide guns to minors. Currently that conduct is commonly prosecuted as contributing to delinquency, a Class 1 misdemeanor; Crawley said the department’s recommendation is that it be elevated to a felony to hold adults who “prey on juveniles” more accountable.
On fentanyl, presenters asked legislators to examine mandatory-minimum penalties for possession, manufacture and distribution, saying fentanyl is a leading cause of overdose deaths and that stronger statutory sentencing could be considered alongside other state efforts to address the drug.
Legislative liaison Preston Bryant told the committee similar bills have been considered in recent years and that the State Crime Commission has studied related issues. He cautioned that some legislators remain skeptical of mandatory minimums but said the topics are ones the General Assembly may hear.
Council members on the dais expressed unanimous support to work these items into the city’s legislative package and to coordinate with partner organizations and state delegates. The committee did not adopt a formal ordinance or local law; it approved forwarding the requests and directed staff and the liaison to develop next steps and potential sponsors in Richmond.
