Loudoun Sheriff Mike Chapman recently announced the members of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office 2012 Executive Leadership Team:

• Lieutenant Colonel & Deputy Chief: Christopher Harmison
• Major, Operations Division: Robert Buckman
• Major, Criminal Investigations Division: Richard Fiano
• Major, Special Operations Division: John Fraga
• Major, Administrative Division: Eric Noble
• Major, Corrections: Richard Frye
• Director of Media Relations and Communications: Elizabeth “Liz” Mills

"I am excited to welcome this team of outstanding individuals to senior leadership at our Sheriff’s Office," Chapman said in a press release about the team. "They bring enormous talent, skills, and accomplishments to our organization. I know that our office will be stronger, run more efficiently, and that our community will be safer as a result of their combined law enforcement and leadership abilities. As I promised the citizens of this county during my campaign, our office will ‘STEP UP’ to move Loudoun County forward in law enforcement. We will improve service, technology, efficiency and professionalism. Although our agenda is ambitious, I am confident, working together, that we will deliver better service to our citizens and improve working conditions for our deputies and civilian staff.”

Team Bios:

• Lt. Colonel Christopher Harmison Lt. Col. Chris Harmison has more than 32 years in local law enforcement experience in the Northern Virginia area. He retired from the Fairfax County Police Department where he worked Patrol Operations, Community Policing, the Criminal Investigations Section and Gang Enforcement. Harmison was part of the team that designed the original community policing efforts and early gang intervention and enforcement. He designed and implemented the police mountain bike patrol operations and trained hundreds of officers throughout the Commonwealth and received numerous awards for valor and meritorious service. Harmison worked for the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office County until 2003 when he ran for sheriff. Most recently, Harmison worked for the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office in the Court Security Services Section. He has a bachelor’s degree from Mountain State University in the Administration of Justice.
• Major Robert Buckman Major Buckman will continue to lead our Operations Division. He is a 29-year veteran in law enforcement. He started his career in 1982 in Court Security and Corrections and then moved on to Field Operations. He was promoted to 2^nd Lt. in 1991 and remained in Field Operations until 1993, when he transferred to Criminal Investigations as the Assistant Division Commander. He was later promoted to Division Commander. In 2003, Buckman transferred to Field Operations as Division Commander. He served as a SERT member from 1996-1998, acting as team leader from 1990-1995, and Team Commander from 1995-1998. Major Buckman earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Elizabethtown College and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
  
  
• Major Richard Fiano Major Fiano will lead the Criminal Investigations Division. Major Fiano is a 35-year veteran of law enforcement. Currently a private sector expert in law enforcement with Northrop Grumman, Fiano directed all domestic and foreign operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, an organization employing over 10,000. In that Senior Executive Service position, he was responsible for the activities of more than 4,500 criminal investigators in the United States and in 77 foreign countries. Fiano also directed a budget of $300 million and chaired the DEA’s Executive Planning Committee. Fiano also held the positions of Regional Director for Europe and Africa, and Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Special Operations Division. Fiano has also held leadership positions as the Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Tampa District Office, as Senior Inspector in the Office of Planning and Inspection, as Section Chief overseeing operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (HQ), as an Assistant Country Attaché in Islamabad, Pakistan where he was responsible for all counter-narcotic enforcement operations in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. Fiano has, throughout his law enforcement career, worked and supervised enforcement groups comprised of DEA Special Agents and State & Local law enforcement officers. Additionally, he served field positions in Miami (8 years) and New York (6 years).
• Major John Fraga Major Fraga will lead the Special Operations Division. Fraga retired from the FBI after 24 years of service as a special agent. As a senior executive, Fraga was responsible for the FBI’s operational response programs based in Quantico, VA. Fraga oversaw 2,000 Special Agents, support personnel and task force operations that responded to traditional and contaminated crime scenes. Fraga was responsible for coordinating the FBI’s response to weapons of mass destruction and expanded the FBI’s forensic response capabilities in the following programs: evidence response, underwater search and technical dive; hazardous materials response; field photography/special projects; and the chemical, biological, radiological, explosives and nuclear science/forensic programs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of San Francisco.

• Promotion – Major Eric Noble Major Noble will lead the Administrative Division. Eric Noble is a 24-year veteran of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office serving most recently as the Western Loudoun Commander. Other command assignments have included Assistant Divisional Commander of the Field Operations Division, Deputy Director of the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy and Team Commander of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team. Noble successfully completed complex projects for the Sheriff’s Office including work load analysis and the implementation of a response to an active shooter program. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and is a 239^th session graduate of the FBI National Academy.
• Promotion – Major Ricky Frye Major Frye will oversee Corrections. Frye, a 25-year veteran of law enforcement, has served our area with both the Leesburg Police Department and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. Frye served in leadership positions in field operations, and in the divisions of Criminal and Narcotics Investigations. He most recently served as station commander in for the Eastern Loudoun Station in Sterling. Frye will focus on the rapid re-opening of all phases of our correction facility. Born and raised in Loudoun County, Frye served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps. Major Frye has an A.A.S. Degree in police science from Northern Virginia Community College and bachelor’s degree in law enforcement from George Mason University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico; the 107^th Session of the Delinquency Control Institute at the School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles; and the 1^st Session of the Leadership in Police Organizations by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
• Elizabeth “Liz” Mills – Director of Media Relations and Communications Elizabeth Mills brings more than 15 years of media relations experience in government, nonprofit and private industry serving as a spokesperson, speech writer, communications director and vice president of marketing and public relations. She has had consistent success in launching marketing and media campaigns for early-stage ventures and political candidates. She began her career as a reporter in New York City for a trade publication owned by McGraw Hill, and wrote position papers and supported ethnic media during a presidential campaign. Liz Mills has media experience on the state, local and national levels and in legislative affairs. She has a history of being able to conceptualize, prioritize, motivate and steer strategic communications. Liz Mills holds a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and an AAS in journalism. She is currently the vice president on the Board of Directors for the Lakes at Red Rock HOA, and Republican Chairman for Catoctin District in Loudoun County. 

The newly appointed Executive Team joins other dedicated sheriff’s personnel, including 547 sworn deputies and 150 civilian personnel.