Bill Text: VA HJR142 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Virginia House Joint Resolution 142 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Commending Mark Barrick.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-02-15 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ142ER) [HJR142 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2024-HJR142-Enrolled.html

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 142 Commending Mark Barrick. Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 12, 2024 Agreed to by the Senate, February 15, 2024

WHEREAS, Mark Barrick, who served and protected communities in Hampton Roads as a law-enforcement officer for 37 years, retired as the sheriff of Mathews County in 2023; and

WHEREAS, Mark Barrick began his career in law enforcement at the age of 19 as a deputy with the Mathews County Sheriff's Office in 1982; and

WHEREAS, Mark Barrick joined the Newport News Police Department in 1986 as a uniformed patrol officer assigned to downtown Norfolk; after four years, he became a member of the street crimes unit, focusing on narcotics, prostitution, and violent crimes; and

WHEREAS, Mark Barrick was next assigned to the vice and narcotics unit, often working undercover, and in his first year with the unit, his team recorded more than 800 drug-related arrests; and

WHEREAS, Mark Barrick subsequently became a burglary detective and a member of the major crimes and special victims units, then offered his expertise to the office of the Newport News fire marshal as an investigator; and

WHEREAS, Mark Barrick returned to the patrol division as a senior officer and retired from the Newport News Police Department with the rank of sergeant in 2006; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the community, Mark Barrick ran for and was elected as sheriff of Mathews County in 2011 and ably served in that capacity from 2012 to 2023; and

WHEREAS, Mark Barrick elevated the professionalism of the Mathews County Sheriff's Office and worked diligently to ensure that his sworn officers had the tools and training they needed to effectively serve and protect local residents; and

WHEREAS, highly respected in the law-enforcement profession, Mark Barrick was an advocate for fair salaries for sheriffs in smaller locations; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Mark Barrick on the occasion of his retirement as sheriff of Mathews County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mark Barrick as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his professional achievements in service to the residents of Hampton Roads.