Sheriff Anthony W. “Tony” Roper was born in Clarke County in 1960, and is a lifelong resident of the county. He first was elected Sheriff in 2003, after serving law enforcement since 1978. During his law enforcement career Sheriff Roper worked as a dispatcher, a correctional officer, a field deputy, and as an investigator with the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Roper was a founding member of the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force, and a regional FBI Drugs and Violent Crime Task Force. He is a graduate of the Virginia Forensic Science Academy, and graduated with executive level law enforcement training from the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the National Sheriff’s Institute in Longmont, Colorado. His commitment to education continues today as he pursues a degree from Old Dominion University.

Sheriff Roper is focused on service to the Clarke County community. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging, and the Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. He additionally serves as a Board Member of the Northwest Regional Adult Detention Center, and is a member of the Command Board of the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force and the Northwest Virginia Regional Gang Task Force. Sheriff Roper also serves on committees guiding the Virginia Sheriffs Association and the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy.

Sheriff Roper and his wife, Karen, have three children and three grandchildren. Sheriff and Mrs. Roper live in the Wildcat Hollow area of Clarke County.