Given all the bad news about law enforcement in the news these days, Middleburg, its friends and supporters have good reason to be proud of its own law enforcement officers and Middleburg citizens who protect and serve others as well.

Lt Mike Price, Officers Tim Tharpe, Heather Fadely, Jay Hollins, and Mark Putnam, backed by Administrative Assistant Coleen Bryan, and led by Chief A.J. Panebianco, have arguably become one of the most popular and most effective community police forces in northern Virginia.

Challenged by an ever-increasing schedule of special events of national interest, visits by VIPs from all over the world, and the ongoing changes of an historic community on the cutting edge of a county undergoing massive demographic change, our local force has not only met those challenges, but earned almost universal praise for their work, often above and beyond the call of duty.

Leesburg Police Sgt. Mark Davis, Middleburg Mayor Betsey Davis's husband and a veteran law enforcement officer, was recognized earlier this month for carrying on the tradition in Leesburg. Davis and his partner, Officer Alex Hilton, were awarded their department's Bronze Medal of Valor for going to the aid of rescue crews handling what at first had appeared to be a relatively routine call about a man who was having "trouble breathing".

Davis and Hinton arrived on the scene to find a 78-year-old man, armed with a handgun and threatening to commit suicide. Together, they brought the situation under control, saving at least one life and possibly others as well.

Hats off and special thanks from us all.