City of Salem Commonwealth’s Attorney, Tom Bowers, has announced he will not seek reelection in November and will retire from his post when his current term expires December 31, 2025. 

"Being the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the citizens and law enforcement officers of the City of Salem has been an incredible honor and I am grateful for the trust the citizens placed in me over the last 20 years.” Bowers said. 

When he was elected in 2006, Bowers made a promise to Salem residents that he would enforce Virginia’s laws in a strong, fair, and balanced manner, and give due respect to all while protecting the citizens.

“If we created the fact or the perception that the criminal element would receive a tougher sentence or that our prosecutions were more prepared and yielded a tougher result, I am pleased,” said Bowers. “That means we did our jobs to keep some of the criminal element out of Salem and keep the citizens safe.”

Bowers has always taken great pride in building a strong relationship with Salem’s law enforcement officers. During his tenure, he has worked with five different police chiefs, four sheriffs and four city managers.

“Law enforcement officers see people on their worst day, either as a suspect, defendant and or victim of a crime,” he said. “It is the job of the Commonwealth’s Attorney to tell the story of what happened in that criminal incident and prosecute that case in a strong, fair and disciplined manner to achieve results and consequences that are appropriate.”

During his tenure, Bowers has always held to the discipline, rules, and ethics learned from his 34 years as a United States Marine. The Roanoke native joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1981 and served 4½ years with Bravo Company, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion in Roanoke. He attained the rank of Sergeant while attending Virginia Western Community College and Radford University, where he graduated with degrees in Criminal Justice. 

 “I was very blessed to have a dual career as a Marine Officer for 34 years while also serving a 30-year career as a prosecutor and private practice attorney,” he said.

 In 1985, he attended Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, the Basic School, and Communications Officers School. He was Assigned to Camp Lejeune and served 4½ years on active duty with 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines and 1st Battalion 8th Marines/26 Marine Expeditionary Unit. He participated in cold weather operations in Bridgeport, California and Norway and a Mediterranean deployment to Northern Africa, Europe, and Israel. He left active duty for the reserve force in 1990, was promoted to Captain, and was mobilized for Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm. 

 “In any leadership role, you must be disciplined and consistent and never compromise your standards and ethics,” said Bowers. “Leadership, whether as a Commonwealth’s Attorney or a Marine Officer requires decision making and a willingness to stand by your decisions.” 

Bowers graduated from Campbell University School of Law in 1994 and began his civilian prosecution career as an assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Roanoke. He eventually became the Regional Drug Prosecutor. In 2001, he left the Roanoke City Commonwealth’s Attorney and went into private practice for four years before being elected Salem’s top prosecutor.

“I know many people, whether defendants or attorneys, didn’t always agree with my decisions, but I always hoped they at least respected the fact that I could make that hard decision and stand by it,” he said.  

In 2015, Bowers received the Directors Community Leadership Award from the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his regional work during the height of the opioid crisis.

“While my name is on the plaque, this award is so special because I was the representative of an incredible effort by local prosecutors, chiefs of police, sheriffs, Virginia State Police agents, judges and treatment professionals to deal with a massive influx of drugs, mainly heroin, during the epidemic” he said. 

Because prosecutors often see people on their worst days, the job can take its toll. Dealing with individuals charged with murder, sexual assault, and domestic violence, and at the same time trying to find justice for the victims of those crimes, leaves prosecutors dealing with worst-case scenarios daily. 

“There are some good days, and the best part of this job is when you take a really bad person off the streets for a period of time, or especially when someone comes up to you at Kroger or Walmart to thank you,” he said. “I’ve had individuals tell me that I was tough on them, but that the tough love made a difference and helped them get off drugs or alcohol or leave the criminal element. Those days don’t happen as often as one would like, but when they do you feel wonderful, and you go home happy.”  

Bowers lives in Salem with his wife Corrie who is a Senior Key Account Manager with Frito Lay, Inc. They have three children; Ben, a senior at Virginia Military Institute, who will be attending Marine Corps Officer Candidate School this summer, Brooke, a rising sophomore at the University of Virginia, and Blair, a freshman at East Carolina University. 

“I have been extremely blessed in many aspects of my life,” he said. “The people I have worked alongside over the years in the prosecutor’s office and the courthouse have been incredibly dedicated to this city and made my job easier. I will always consider each one of them part of my extended family.”

DID YOU KNOW?

• Major Bowers worked Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection Special Operations prior to attending Naval Justice School attaining the Judge Advocate certification. 
• He was promoted to Lt. Colonel and in December 2004 he volunteered to serve in the Global War on Terrorism in Djibouti, Yemen, Ethiopia and Kenya. 
• In 2007, he was promoted to Colonel. He served 3 years as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, Marine Corps Base, Quantico. 
• From 2010 until his retirement in September 2015, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff G-7, supporting security issues in the Washington, D.C./National Capitol region.
• He was the Joint Team Capitol Commander for the State Funeral Exercise, responsible for funeral operations for a sitting or former President occurring at the United States Capitol. 
• Mr. Bowers retired from the Marine Corps in 2015 as a Colonel.