Criminal justice Roanoke Mayor Voted To Parole Inmate Whose 2020 Release Spurred Investigations, Outrage The news about Martin’s release prompted “a lot of adverse sentiment” including from “my chief police officer,” Lea said, according to records.
Criminal justice Confusion Clouds Roanoke City Council's Removal of No-Knock Warrant Request As It Endorses Other Police Reform Rollbacks Mayor Sherman Lea said he would have kept the provision to revive no-knock warrants had he known state law forbade a judge from authorizing them.
Criminal justice Roanoke City Council Urges Virginia Lawmakers To Roll Back Criminal Justice Reforms Reforms enacted after the 2020 police murder of George Floyd include bans on no-knock warrants and certain traffic stops.
Criminal justice 'We Got Soft on Crime': As Gun Violence Spikes, Roanoke Mayor Is Among Democrats Rethinking State Criminal Justice Reforms Mayor Sherman Lea said Roanoke should consider using stop-and-frisk among other approaches to crack down on violent crime.
