ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 13, 1997 TAG: 9701130074
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NORFOLK
SOURCE: Associated Press|
Jerry Elizondo's case is typical of the confusion felt by some law enforcement officials regarding a law that prohibits anyone convicted of domestic violence from possessing a gun.
Elizondo, 32, a former Norfolk's sheriff's deputy, maintained what he called a ``spotless'' record in law enforcement. He had a master's degree in justice administration and was hoping for a career with the FBI.
He also was convicted in November of misdemeanor assault and battery against his wife of 10 years in Virginia Beach Circuit Court. That put him in jeopardy of the domestic violence gun law, enacted in September.
``My record was spotless,'' he said. ``And now this one incident has just shattered all of the dreams I've had all along for the past 20 years.''
Gloria Elizondo sees the situation differently.
``If they want their careers badly enough, they're going to think twice before they strike a woman or abuse anyone else,'' she said.
Critics of the law argue that it unfairly penalizes people convicted of crimes years earlier. Republicans are backing a bill that would prevent the Clinton administration from enforcing the law.
In the meantime, law enforcement agencies for the first time are requiring applicants to sign a certificate stating they have not been convicted of domestic violence.
And police are doing background checks on their officers.
At the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, no deputies have been affected, said spokeswoman Linda Jacocks.
``We are doing record checks on sworn employees. We are also requiring each deputy to answer a questionnaire that asks them if they have been convicted of domestic assault,'' she said.
If the background checks discover a conviction, Jacocks said, ``obviously, they cannot be employed as law-enforcement officers.''
Elsewhere in Hampton Roads, Chesapeake and Portsmouth police say they're addressing the requirements of the law.
And after conducting their own records checks, Virginia State Police found no employees in violation of the law. ``Our good-faith feeling was confirmed,'' said Lt. George Crowder with the state police in Richmond.
There is no reliable estimate of how many people across the state or nation are convicted annually on domestic violence charges. But police expert Victor Kappeler, head of the Criminal Justice Graduate Program at Eastern Kentucky University, estimates that 7,000 law enforcement officials are affected nationwide.
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