By Aila Boyd
Danny Crouse, a longtime Botetourt resident, recently announced his candidacy for sheriff of Botetourt County.
“It’s the next step in my career,” Crouse said of why he’s running for sheriff. “I feel that I have a wealth of knowledge and experience that I’ve gained through the years that I’ve spent in law enforcement and the private sector.”
Crouse, who is running as an Independent, currently serves as a detective-lieutenant in the City of Salem Police Department. In his current role, he oversees internal affairs, all general investigations, the narcotics division, the records divisions, and crime analysts.
After a career in the private sector, Crouse said that he found himself longing to get into public service. He started at the City of Salem Police Department in 2008.
“I wanted to go into public service. I decided that law enforcement was definitely where I wanted to be,” Crouse explained.
Over the course of his time in Salem, Crouse has served as a member of the department’s patrol unit, a field training officer, a senior police officer, a general investigator, the background and recruiting investigator, and a patrol supervisor. Before being promoted to the rank of detective-lieutenant, he held the rank of detective-sergeant.
Crouse graduated from Glenvar High School in 1986 before obtaining a two-year degree at Virginia Western Community College. He then went on to receive an undergraduate degree in finance and accounting from Radford University. In the mid-1990s, he obtained his Master of Business Administration from Averett University.
In 2016, he attended the National Criminal Justice Command College at the University of Virginia, which is sponsored by the Virginia State Police. Crouse described the experience as being an “intense 10-week executive school.”
He said that his degrees have given him a foundation for the executive command position that he currently holds, particularly the administrative duties that he’s responsible for. He added that his educational background has been very helpful when dealing with budgetary matters. Before becoming a member of the executive command at the Salem Police Department, Crouse put his business smarts to use by focusing on white collar crimes while a part of the investigative unit.
Crouse explained that in his eyes, a good sheriff is committed to the office and the community that he or she serves.
“They need to be forward thinking and have the insight to be able to approach the growth that we’re currently seeing in Botetourt County,” he added. “They need to have the vision to implement the changes that are needed.”
When considering what he could bring to the job, Crouse said that because he has spent his law enforcement career in a more urban setting, he feels that he has a unique insight into how the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office should address the influx of new people and growth that is currently under way.
“We need to stay ahead of the growth,” he said. “I can offer foresight to see what’s coming to Botetourt.”
Additionally, Crouse said that because the City of Salem Police Department is multi-jurisdictional, he has extensive experience working with other agencies.
“The criminal element has no boundaries, so the influence will come over and impact Botetourt County,” he said.
Although he doesn’t have any particular changes in mind that he would implement if elected, Crouse said that he would like to build on the solid foundation that the current sheriff has laid. He specifically mentioned that he would like to have more officers on the road and in the schools.
“Sheriff Sprinkle has done a fantastic job over the past 20 years,” Crouse said.
When considering the experiences on the job that have shaped the way in which he views his job, Crouse said that one event stands out in particular. Back in 2012, when he was still on the road, a young woman was considering suicide by threatening to jump off a bridge and onto Interstate 81.
“It was through that experience that I realized that this (law enforcement) is a community service. It’s not something that everyone is cut out to do, but it’s something that is very humbling, fulfilling, and rewarding,” he said. “It was at that point that I realized that law enforcement officers are asked to do over and beyond. And they do.”
