Spanberger Was Joined by Prince William County Chief of Police Peter Newsham & Culpeper Chief of Police Chris Settle

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger — a former federal law enforcement officer — last night hosted an open, public telephone town hall focused on addressing community safety concerns and fostering dialogue between residents of Virginia’s Seventh District and local law enforcement officials. Spanberger was joined by Prince William County Chief of Police Peter Newsham and Culpeper Chief of Police Chris Settle.

During Tuesday’s event, Spanberger and Seventh District residents discussed many topics — including cracking down on illicit fentanyl, preventing gun violence in our communities, recruiting and retaining highly trained first responders, combatting domestic and intimate partner violence, keeping our roads safe, and more. Additionally, the Congresswoman thanked law enforcement officers for the sacrifices they make to protect our communities and provided updates on her legislative efforts to keep Virginia communities safe, tackle the overdose crisis, and provide law enforcement with the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.

More than 4,900 Virginians joined Tuesday night’s event. Click here for a full video recording of the event.

“Over the years, I have held these interactive town hall events to be able to hear directly from the Virginians I represent about the issues facing their families and their communities — and Tuesday night’s public safety town hall with Chief Newsham and Chief Settle was a great opportunity to learn more about the public safety issues that are top of mind for Virginians across our Commonwealth,” said Spanberger. “Thank you to everyone who tuned in to discuss how their public officials are working to keep their neighborhoods, families, and children safe — and to learn more about how we can continue working together to make our community stronger. I’m grateful that Chief Settle and Chief Newsham joined the conversation to share their expertise and insight and I encourage anyone who was unable to ask a question to please reach out to my office.”

“Representative Spanberger, I want to thank you for this dialogue — which touched on gun violence, traffic safety, fentanyl, and other community concerns that people have and that are ongoing,” said Newsham during the event. “I am fortunate to be able to walk amongst heroes in the men and women of the Prince William County Police Department, the men and women of the Culpeper Police Department, and the men and women of the law enforcement agencies that serve the Commonwealth. Thank you Representative Spanberger, thank you Chief Settle, and I’m looking forward to future discussions.”

“Thank you, Congresswoman Spanberger, for inviting me to join this important dialogue. I will always take any opportunity I can to interact with the public. Thank you all for allowing us to serve you,” said Settle during the event. “I want to also thank the men and women of my department — who are out there working tonight, out there working tomorrow, 24/7, 365 days of the year — for the tremendous job that they do. To any residents of the Town of Culpeper, please if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, contact the Culpeper Police Department.”

Tuesday’s event was Spanberger’s 59th open, public town hall event. These town halls have focused on a range of issues facing Virginia’s families, Veterans, seniors, small businesses, students, and communities. Click here to watch full recordings of previous events.

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