Following a closed session of the Middleburg Town Council on March 22, 2012, Council Member Bundles Murdock moved to authorize Town Administrator Martha Semmes to offer Anthony J. Panebianco an annual salary of $75,000 plus other benefits to serve as Middleburg's new Chief of Police.

The offer called for Panebianco to be added to the Town's payroll on April 23 and assume full command of the force on May 1, the effective date of Chief Bill Klugh's retirement.

Seconded by Councilmember Mark Snyder, Murdock's motion passed unanimously, supported by Vice Mayor Darlene Kirk and Council members Kevin Hazard, Trowbridge Littleton, Kathy Jo Shea, and David Stewart.

Mayor Betsy Davis, prohibited by law from casting a vote except to break a tie, abstained, but in the Town's official press release applauded Council's decision: "We are looking forward to having Chief Panebianco begin walking our streets and become part of our community as Chief of Police," Davis said. "We believe he will enhance our well-loved police force."

Third Chief in a Year

Panebianco is the third officer to hold the position of Chief of Police in Middleburg in less than a year, not counting Officer Mike Prince's interim service as Acting Chief.

Chief Steve Webber announced his retirement, effective June 1, 2011, in March of that year. At the time Webber had been accused of giving advanced notice to the complainant in a criminal case about the date, time and place of an arrest, actions that, according to later court testimony, led directly to the alerting of one or more photographers to cover the event.

Chief Bill Klugh officially replaced Webber in June 2011. He resigned, much to the regret of Town Council and staff, due to what he described as an unfortunate miscalculation of his retirement benefits.

The official announcement of the town's hiring of Panebianco was both enthusiastic and well-received.

Local media, noting his selection from a pool of more than 25 candidates, cited his 22 years of service, his record as Chief of Police in the Town of Louisa, Acting Chief in Warsaw Virginia, Chief of Police in Buena Vista, and a host of well-documented accomplishments.

Risk

Panebianco is arguably the most closely vetted of any Middleburg Police Chief in decades. Before being interviewed in closed session by the entire Town Council, the new Chief had to pass muster with Town Administrator Martha Semmes, Police Chief Klugh, Vice Mayor Darlene Kirk (who also serves as the Council's Personnel chair) and Bundles Murdock, the Council's Public Safety chair.

Commenting on Council's unanimous decision to hire him, Vice Mayor Darlene Kirk noted, "Any new hire is, in some sense, a risk . . . but not this one. I really believe he's the right man for the job and that we're lucky to be able to hire him." By all accounts, no one on Town Council or staff appears to disagree.

Service History

Panebianco had been Chief of Police in Louisa for only a few months when the August 23, 2011 earthquake struck. Located just 6 miles from Mineral, the quake's epicenter, Louisa suffered not only serious damage, but, in some instances, genuine panic. Panebianco and his officers were highly praised for their quick and effective response to what was quite literally a once-in-a-lifetime totally unpredictable emergency.

In Warsaw, where he served as both a consultant and Interim Chief, Panebianco's work (including a detailed analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, and needs of the department) was highly praised and by all accounts is still serving as a working organizational and operational guide for the town's new Chief, whom Panebianco helped recruit.

Prior to his service in Warsaw, the new Chief served 22 years on the force in Buena Vista, population 6,650, just 15 minutes east of Lexington, the home of both the Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee University.

Joining the force as a line patrolman when he was barely 21, he rose steadily through the ranks, earning an Associate's degree and a Bachelor's Degree along the way. Panebianco became Chief in March 2008, succeeding Chief Lewis Plogger, a 37-year veteran who had both hired and mentored him before retiring and becoming a member of the Buena Vista City Council.

Panebianco's long career in Buena Vista ended unexpectedly on July 1, 2010, an event whose details are shrouded in part by the confidentiality and nondisclosure provisions that surround most, if not all, "personnel matters."

The Lexington News-Gazette quoted City Manager Tim Dudley on the matter. Speaking ostensibly for the town council and staff, Dudley would say only that he "would not say why Panebianco resigned."

That remained and remains the position of Town officials despite what appeared from press reports to be vocal demands from Panebianco supporters among the citizens of Buena Vista for further details or his reinstatement.

Panebianco, equally bound by the rules, will say only that his resignation was a purely personal decision, " . . . the best ethical course of action surrounding a difference of opinion," noting that he "left in good standing and was presented with my badge, duty weapon, and accrued leave as reward for a job well done."

Middleburg's Town Council, ostensibly privy to sources not available to the press or general public, made their opinion clear with their unanimous and unqualified decision to hire the new Chief.

Asked if he understood how important his success would be to all those who put their faith in him, he told the Eccentric, "I promise you, that in a year, or even less, you and they will be absolutely, totally sure they made the right decision."

The Man

Before assuming his duties as Chief in Middleburg, Panebianco (who insists on being called "A.J.") spent two hours or so with the Eccentric at his office in Louisa.

He has been married to his wife, Amy, for nearly a quarter century. She is a school nurse whose efforts to combat weight among local students was the subject of a feature on nearby WSLS TV.

Their son, Scotty, is newly married and wants to pursue a career like his dad's in law enforcement.

Their daughter-in-law, Jenna, is a teacher specializing in work with autistic children. Panebianco credits her with inspiring his own dedication to kids with special needs.

The Panebianos have two dogs: Millie (an ancient and beloved rescued German Shepherd) and Raferd (aka "Scooby-Doo"), a Min-pin.

As might be expected, given his career, "A.J." knows and teaches martial arts. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is his specialty. He loves and restores classic high-powered fast cars.

He's also a writer (currently working on his first novel).

Best and Worst

Asked what's best about being a policeman, Panebianco answered without hesitation: "Saving lives."

"I haven't done it that often," he said. And looking down at his hands, he murmured, " . . . and sometimes I've failed. But there's nothing . . . nothing in this world . . . that's better. I love CPR. I can't describe the feeling one gets when it works."

Asked what's worst, he paused.

"One sees many bad things, terrible things, in the line of duty, and it's hard to say which is the worst.

"For me, perhaps, it came early on. Though I didn't know it at the time, I was lucky. I came from a family in which domestic violence would have been, was, unthinkable."

"Sadly, it's too big a part of the rest of the world."

"My first arrest, on my first day on the Buena Vista force, while I was still being shown the ropes, was on a domestic violence call. Seeing violence, especially violence against women and children at home, where they should be safest, is still, for me, one of the worst things about being a policeman. And I guess you could say being able to help stop some of it is one of the best parts."

Style

Asked about how he thought a policeman should conduct himself, Panebianco was also unequivocal. He began by showing that his uniform shoes were both well-polished and very well worn.

"I tend to focus on community policing and education," he said. "I believe that when a Police Department has the confidence of the residents, business owners, and visitors . . . success will be the outcome. You can expect to see me and other officers doing foot patrols and finding new ways to reach out to the community. . . . My goal is to make sure each officer knows me on a first name basis."

He had high praise for the men and women he would be serving with in Middleburg. "They seem professional and experienced," he noted. "I hope to build on that . . . to discover an area of interest for each officer and try to develop or build a program around their strengths."

No doubt anticipating a question about whether or not the press should be alerted in advance about the time, date and place of a pending arrest, he volunteered: "I will say without a doubt that it is improper to advise anyone, aside from the person in question and law enforcement officials, of the details surrounding a pending arrest."

Panebianco believes, he says, in an "open door policy."

"I want the public to feel comfortable approaching me or any officer. If they have a question or just want to say hello, I encourage them to do so. This is THEIR police department. I am THEIR Chief, and we are here FOR THEM."