Beau Biden INCUMBENT
Beau Biden’s career in public service extends well beyond his past four years as Delaware’s Attorney General.
He is a captain in the Delaware Army National Guard and recently returned from a deployment supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq. His unit, the 261st Theater Tactical Signal Brigade, was deployed in October 2008 and returned home in September 2009. In 2001, Beau served as Interim Legal Advisor for the United States Department of Justice in post-war Kosovo, helping the war-torn nation develop a law enforcement and criminal justice system.
Beau began his career in public service shortly after graduating from the Syracuse University College of Law, clerking for Judge Steven McAuliffe of the United States District Court in New Hampshire from 1994 to 1995. Beau then joined the United States Department of Justice, where from 1995 to 1997 he served as Counsel in the Office of Policy Development, working on a variety of issues, including those related to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and missing and exploited children. General Biden then served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia from 1997 until 2002, before working in private practice from 2002 to 2006.
As Attorney General, protecting the most vulnerable among us – especially children – is Beau’s top priority. That’s why he created the Child Predator Unit almost immediately after being sworn in. Within the Department of Justice, the Child Predator Task Force in partners with 43 law enforcement agencies across the state. Dedicated to keeping kids safe in their homes, in the community, and online, the Task Force has led more than 100 investigations since its inception, and has delivered a message of Internet safety to thousands of students throughout Delaware. Beau also successfully pushed for tough new mandatory prison sentences for child predators and distributors of child pornography.
Beau is a graduate of Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware, the University of Pennsylvania and the Syracuse University College of Law. He was born and raised in Delaware and currently lives in Wilmington with his wife Hallie and their two children – Natalie, 5, and Hunter, 4. |
Schools should be secure places where children get started on the path toward a successful and safe future. General Biden is focused every day on protecting Delaware's children, and the federal government has recognized our state as a national leader in fighting child predators. It is no longer enough to just worry about keeping kids safe on the playground or their walks to and from school. Predators can come right into your child's home or school through your child's computer – that’s why Beau pushed for tough new penalties for child pornographers. To help kids protect themselves online, Beau and his team have given Internet Safety presentations to thousands of children. His office also worked with the legislature’s School Discipline Task Force, which gave local districts flexibility to decide how to best keep their schools safe.
Protecting Delawareans' safety includes taking steps to protect their health. Delaware's growing senior citizen population deserves to be healthy and happy as they enjoy their golden years. To make this a reality for seniors and to protect them from abuse, Beau launched the Senior Protection Initiative that has provided training to law enforcement on how to recognize senior abuse and support survivors. Recently Beau worked with legislators and Gov. Markell to impose tough new penalties on criminals to protect seniors and other vulnerable adults who cannot protect themselves.
The quality of Delaware's air, soil and water can also have an impact on our health. Unfortunately, some bad-actor companies are not following Delaware laws and are illegally polluting our air, land and water. To crack down on those companies that view paying fines as simply a cost of doing business, Attorney General Biden has proposed legislation that will give state regulators more authority to punish businesses that repeatedly violate the state’s environmental laws and puts sharper teeth into the law to penalize those offenders.
Delaware is blessed with wonderful beaches and many other valuable natural resources, and Beau wants to ensure future generations can enjoy those resources just as so many Delawareans do now. That is why shortly after taking office Beau pushed for tough new penalties against illegal air and water pollution and other environmental crimes, a broader scope of Delaware’s anti-trash-dumping laws and stiffer penalties for violations committed in Delaware State Parks. The Attorney General's Office is now enforcing those stronger laws against criminals who harm our environment. To do even more, Beau has proposed tougher penalties for bad-actor companies that repeatedly violate our environmental-protection laws.
The most important environmental law Delaware has is the Coastal Zone Act, which Gov. Russell Peterson championed in 1971 to ensure that our beaches remain beautiful and same from intrusion by heavy industry. Beau helped fight to protect Delaware’s control over its coast against an attempt by New Jersey to control part of the Delaware River that has been the First State’s territory. The Supreme Court of the United States’ 2008 ruling in that case kept Delaware’s control over our shorelines.
As Attorney General, protecting the most vulnerable among us – especially children – is Beau’s top priority. In April, the federal government recognized the bold steps we have taken to protect kids and named Delaware a national leader in fighting child predators. He created the Child Predator Unit within the Department of Justice, and the Child Predator Task Force in partnership with 43 law enforcement agencies across the state. Dedicated to keeping kids safe in their homes, in the community, and online, the Task Force has led more than 100 investigations since its inception, and has delivered a message of Internet safety to thousands of students throughout Delaware. He also successfully pushed for tough new mandatory prison sentences for child predators and distributors of child pornography.
The voices of victims on domestic violence and senior abuse also too often go unheard, and General Biden’s office works hard every day to stand up for them.
To stand up for Delaware’s growing senior-citizen population, Beau launched the Senior Protection Initiative. For the first time, last year, law enforcement officers in Delaware received specialized training to recognize senior abuse and to work with victims to help them report the abuse and seek help. Beau also negotiated a memorandum of understanding between his office, the State Police and Adult Protective Services that establish protocols for investing and prosecuting senior abuse cases. Recently he worked with legislators and Gov. Markell to impose tough new penalties on criminals to protect seniors and other vulnerable adults who cannot protect themselves.
To stand up for survivors of domestic violence, Beau has worked to significantly strengthened the legal protections they need. We have made it easier for women to receive Protection from Abuse orders, which require their abusers to stay away or face further prosecution. This year Delaware took another important step with a new law that strengthens PFAs even more. The protection orders will now be in effect for at least two years – previously the minimum was one – and in some cases the protection order will be in effect indefinitely. Requiring survivors of domestic violence to reapply for the legal protection they deserve is an unnecessary hardship. Beau’s office helped to lift that heavy burden from their shoulders and putting it exactly where it should be: on the perpetrators.
During Beau’s tenure as Attorney General, he and his team have also found new ways to fight crime, protect our environment, help Delawareans have been victims of fraud and fight mortgage fraud scams. To learn more, please visit BeauBiden.com.
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