[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E18-E19]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      THE RETIREMENT OF WINCHESTER CITY SHERIFF LENNY MILLHOLLAND

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                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 8, 2014

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Winchester 
City Sheriff Lenny Millholland who retired on December 31, 2013.
  Sheriff Millholland has served the city of Winchester since 1979. He 
began his career in law enforcement in Cumberland, Maryland, where he 
worked for two years in the sheriff's

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office before accepting a position with the Winchester Police 
Department. After reaching the rank of lieutenant, he ran for city 
sheriff taking office in 2002--a particularly challenging time in the 
wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
  A graduate of the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training 
Academy, the Maryland State Police K9 Academy, FBI National Academy 
Session 188, and the National Sheriff's Institute in Longmont, 
Colorado, his record of law enforcement training is impressive. 
Additionally, over the course of his term as sheriff, he was appointed 
to several committees and boards that serve law enforcement and local 
non-profit organizations. He is also a past president of the Virginia 
Sheriff's Institute, which trains sheriffs in Virginia, and was 
recently honored by the Horseshoe Curve Benevolent Association for his 
outstanding service to the community.
  I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Lenny many times 
over the years. He has been a committed public servant to the 
Shenandoah Valley and I wish him all the best in his retirement.
  I submit the following Winchester Star article on Sheriff 
Millholland's exceptional career of service to the Winchester 
community.

               [From the Winchester Star, Dec. 30, 2013]

            Retiring Sheriff Ready To Relax, See What Comes

                         (By Melissa Boughton)

       Winchester, VA.--Lenny Milholland has one more day on the 
     job as city sheriff, then he plans to lie low and see what 
     the future holds.
       ``I just want to see if I like retirement first,'' he said 
     Friday when asked what was next for the veteran law 
     enforcement officer.
       The 56-year-old Democrat announced in April that he would 
     not seek a fourth term as Winchester city sheriff. He 
     officially leaves his post Tuesday.
       Taking over the position is Republican Les Taylor, who 
     defeated Democrat Leonard Bauserman in the Nov. 5 election. 
     His first day on the job is Wednesday.
       ``It's been a good ride, it truly has,'' said Millholland, 
     who has served as city sheriff since 2002. ``And my people 
     have been the best.''
       He has no shortage of compliments for his staff and those 
     who work in the Joint Judicial Center at 5 N. Kent St.
       In fact, Millholland said, if he had one piece of advice 
     for his successor, it would be to treat the employees at the 
     courthouse right, especially the Winchester Sheriff's Office 
     deputies.
       ``They are an extension of you,'' he said.
       The city sheriff's office is responsible for security at 
     the Joint Judicial Center and warrant service within the 
     city, among myriad other duties.
       Never without a smile, Millholland has been a fixture in 
     local law enforcement since 1979, when he joined the 
     Winchester Police Department as a patrol officer.
       On Friday, he sat back in his chair and reminisced about 
     applying for the job. ``I opened up the Cumberland (Md.) 
     Times and it said `police officer wanted.' ''
       He got the job, and the rest is history.
       Millholland's law enforcement career began in Cumberland, 
     Md., where he worked for two years in the Sheriff's Office.
       In Winchester, he was a patrol officer until May 1988, when 
     he and his canine were stabbed with a Samurai sword while 
     responding to an incident on Cameron Street. The dog, Apollo, 
     eventually had to be put down, and Millholland's injuries 
     required dozens of stitches.
       Millholland returned to work the next day but moved to the 
     Criminal Investigations Division, where he stayed until 1998, 
     when he attended the FBI Academy.
       Two promotions later, Millholland, then a lieutenant, 
     decided to run for city sheriff.
       ``I was involved in a department shooting and it affected 
     the way that I looked at a lot of things,'' he said.
       Millholland took office as city sheriff in 2002 and got 
     right to work.
       ``It was right after 9/11, so you had a whole different way 
     people viewed security,'' he said. ``We didn't have metal 
     detectors, we didn't have X-ray machines--if you wanted to 
     come into [the courthouse], you just came in.''
       Millholland made the security at the Joint Judicial Center 
     what it is today, with X-ray machines, metal detectors and 
     wands for deputies to search people when necessary.
       ``I think my biggest goal was to make sure that nothing 
     happened at the courthouse under my watch,'' he said. ``And 
     I've got three more days to make sure that comes to 
     fruition.''
       He added that another major goal he had when he took office 
     was to treat everyone he worked with well.
       ``It's all about the people you meet along the way,'' 
     Millholland said.
       His most memorable moments on the job were when ``his 
     guys'' received rewards and accolades for their work, he 
     said.
       ``It's a great office, it's a great group of people,'' 
     Millholland said, adding that he hopes the office will keep 
     progressing under the new leadership.
       Millholland said a lot of people have asked him about his 
     plans for the future, but a recent medical issue has made 
     everything uncertain.
       Though he didn't elaborate, his doctor told him he was 
     ``pretty lucky.'' ``It makes you wonder how short life can 
     be,'' Millholland said.
       He added that many of the people he used to have dealings 
     with, including former Winchester Circuit Court Clerk Mike 
     Foreman, have died, and that he realizes he could have been 
     one of them.
       ``[Mike Foreman, before he died,] told me to get out while 
     I could still remember why I wanted out, and while I could 
     still do something else.''
       Known for his jovial, larger-than-life personality and 
     enthusiastic community involvement, Millholland smiled when 
     asked if he plans to take a post-retirement vacation.
       ``Me and Santa Claus are probably going to go find 
     someplace warm and stay there for a while,'' he joked.

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