We have volunteered at Kempsville Meadows Elementary on the first day of school for the past 18 years and, even though school is starting virtually this year, we couldn't let the first day pass by without showing our support for the awesome KMES students and staff! We stopped by to see Principal Mikelle Williams and got to talk with Carter, a second grader who was picking up his virtual learning materials with his father.
We miss being together and volunteering in schools, but we want everyone to be safe and we hope all of our VBSchools students and staff have a GREAT SCHOOL YEAR!
We began our 48th Basic Academy Class this week!
During the next 16 weeks, our 16 deputy recruits will undergo extensive academic and physical training and will complete the requirements to earn their Jailor, Court Security and Civil Process certifications from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. They will also receive training in Virginia law, ethics, cultural diversity, firearms, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operations, first aid, crisis intervention (mental health) and much more. The goal of the academy is to prepare the deputy recruits for a long, safe and successful career in law enforcement.
We are taking appropriate precautions to protect the health and safety of our recruits and instructors during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including requiring masks (except during physical fitness training) and conducting daily temperature checks and wellness screenings.
If you're interested in a career with the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, visit https://www.vbso.net/sworn-positions.
CONGRATULATIONS to the graduates of Basic Academy Class 47-20! Despite their training being disrupted by COVID-19, they pushed through and completed their requirements for certification. While we wish we could give them all the fanfare they deserve, we are no less proud of their accomplishment. Please join us in congratulating these outstanding men and women!
(These training photos were taken prior to the COVID-19 shutdown and implementation of mask wearing and social distancing.)
Today we have good news and bad news to share with you. The bad news is we have had two VBSO deputies test positive for COVID-19. The good news is one has already recovered and been cleared by a physician and Occupational Health to return to work. The other remains on leave. Neither required hospitalization. Our thoughts and prayers are with both of them and with everyone battling COVID-19.
The other good news is this is a very small number of our 469 sworn and civilian appointees.
We still have had no Virginia Beach Correctional Center inmates test positive for COVID-19 (one has been tested and the test results were negative).
We have taken every precaution to protect the health and safety of everyone here, including cleaning the jail 24/7, implementing mandatory mask-wearing and wellness screenings for deputies, civilians and contractors, and quarantining all new inmates for 14 days prior to entering general population. We will continue these efforts going forward. For additional information, visit https://www.vbso.net/coronavirus.
Today Front Yard Friends helped us stage a special surprise for our deputies, civilians and medical staff! THANK YOU to this awesome local business (which is owned be the family of one of our deputies) for donating this display to recognize their hard work and boost morale during this challenging time. 👮♀️ 👨⚕️ 🙏
To everyone who has a loved one incarcerated or working inside the Virginia Beach Correctional Center, know that their health and safety is our top priority and we are doing everything we can - including exceeding the CDC guidelines - to protect them. -Sheriff Ken Stolle
For more information on our efforts, visit https://www.vbso.net/coronavirus.
It’s almost the end of National Doctors’ Day, but we couldn’t let the day pass without saying THANK YOU to all of the doctors, physicians, nurses and other medical professionals for everything they do every day, especially on the front lines of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Thank you, doctors, including those who serve our 1,200 inmates. We appreciate you! 👨⚕️👩⚕️🙏
VBSO honors Black History Month
For Black History Month, we are honoring one of the early black leaders at the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, Lt. Rudy Hills. Lt. Hills, who served from 1984-1997, mentored so many here and paved the way for other black leaders in the VBSO. He left an indelible mark on this organization and we are grateful for his service and his contributions.
Lt. Hills is one of many who have had a positive impact on the VBSO and the community, including many of our black leaders who continue to serve today. As we always strive to be more diverse and more inclusive, we thank those who have helped us along that journey and contributed so much to us and to Virginia Beach. We are better because of you.
The VBSO and Sheriff Ken Stolle making our annual toy donation to WTKR News 3’s Holiday Helpers campaign to ensure homeless children in local shelters have a great Christmas!
It’s that time again! Time to Cover a Cruiser for Special Olympics Virginia! Come out to the Wawa at 5048 Ferrell Parkway tomorrow from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to make a donation and get your name (or the name of a loved one, business, organization, school or sports team) on our cruiser. Absolutely all of the money goes to support our amazing Special Olympics athletes! So come grab a cup of coffee, visit with us and support a great cause.
And they’re off! Good luck to the 400 cyclists and 150 support staff making the three-day, 250 mile trek to Washington this weekend to honor our fallen law enforcement officers and kick off National Police Week. Not only that, they’ll be raising money for charities, such as Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), that support the survivors of fallen law enforcement officers. Law Enforcement United is an all-volunteer nonprofit and has raised more than $5.5 million for those charities during the past 10 years. We’re proud to be part of this effort with the support of Sheriff Ken Stolle and will be cheering them on the whole way!
Click here to donate: https://www.memberplanet.com/campaign/leunited/honorremembersupport_2019.
Our 45th Basic Academy recruits enjoyed a few friendly games of pickleball with Sheriff Ken Stolle and members of our command yesterday. The game has become a tradition for each academy before they graduate. It builds teamwork and bonding and gives the recruits some face time with VBSO leadership. It’s also a fun way to get their exercise for the day and to reward several months of hard work and training. We wish them the best of luck as they finish their training leading up to graduation April 25!
We just dropped off 10 bags of winter coats and pants at the Judeo Christian Outreach Center! The heavy-duty, water-resistant items can no longer be used by our deputies but are still in great shape. We hope they will help out some folks in need when the cold weather returns. All of the VBSO patches and insignia were removed prior to the items being donated.
We wish you all a merry Christmas, a happy holidays and a safe and prosperous New Year!
The VBSO live with WTKR News 3 making our annual toy donation to the Holiday Helpers program to ensure kids in local shelters have a great Christmas! All the money for the toys was raised by our deputies and civilians.
We’re at the Wawa working to Cover a Cruiser for Dancing with the Athletes, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Virginia that pairs law enforcement officers with Special Olympics athletes for a dance competition. Come out until 1:30 p.m. to show your support and make a donation! Dancing with the Athletes will be Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Chesapeake Conference Center (hosted by our friends at the Chesapeake Sheriff's Office).
Remarks by Undersheriff Brian Struzzieri and Chief Deputy of Administration Rocky Holcomb at tonight’s opening reception for the Beyond the Block inmate art exhibition at The Chrysler Museum of Art. This all started with a conversation between Chief Deputy Holcomb and the Chrysler’s Community Engagement Manager Michael Berlucchi about the amazing artwork created by inmates - even without art supplies - and has grown into two exhibitions, with this year’s expanding to include the Norfolk and Hampton Roads Regional jails. This project has touched so many people and we’re incredibly proud of the impact it has had on the community and the inmate artists. As Chief Deputy Holcomb said:
“I’ve seen too much talent wasted. ... So I’m happy for all the artists that are here, the families that are here, and I can promise you that in the law enforcement community, no matter what you hear on TV or no matter what you read, when your loved one’s incarcerated, their souls are not lost. We care. We’re there every day and we care. And we do what we can to make it a better place and rehabilitate folks to get them back into the community because that’s where we all live, work and play together."
Beyond the Block will be on display through Jan. 13.
Today we were honored to have a very special surprise at our Employee Appreciation Picnic! The Norfolk Admirals presented Training Cpl. Guy Saucier with an Anchors of Our Community award for his 30+ years of public service. Congratulations to Cpl. Saucier and thank you to the Admirals for taking the time to recognize our public servants as they head into their 30th season!
VBSO goes live to Cover a Cruiser for Special Olympics Virginia! Come donate until 2 p.m. at Wawa at 5048 Ferrell Parkway.
VBSO lip sync challenge video OUTTAKES
Check out a few of the outtakes from the filming of our lip sync challenge video last week! This project was a first for most of us, and many of the deputies who participated had just finished working a 12-hour shift! We also wanted to give some love to our C Team deputies whose sweet moves had to be cut from the final product because the shot got messed up down the line.
Thank you to everyone who made this video possible and to the community for the tremendous support you've shown us, Special Olympics Virginia and Law Enforcement United-Virginia Division!
Video via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b3u3zNN4Nw.
Check out the video of Deputy Eric “Superman” Dickinson surprising his biggest fan - 4-year-old Lewis - and his schoolmates at The Goddard School today! He was accompanied by Sheriff Ken Stolle and members of our command. We arranged the special visit after Lewis’s mom reached out to tell us how much he loved seeing Deputy Dickinson (in his Superman T-shirt) in the Virginia Beach Police Department’s lip sync challenge video. Thanks for the support and for making this such a special day for us, Lewis!
Thank you to Salem Middle School’s Avid program for the great snacks they dropped off for our deputies and K9s as a thank you for our recent visit with students. As you can see, K9 Candy was very excited about her new treats!
Good luck to all the Law Enforcement United-Virginia Division riders who just left on their three-day, 250 mile trek to Washington, D.C.! They’re honoring our fallen law enforcement officers, including 143 killed in the line of duty in 2017 and 51 who have given their lives this year. LEU raises money for charities that support their survivors, giving more than $4.4 million since the first ride in 2009. We’re proud to support this great cause and wish all the riders and supporters a safe trip!
VBSO Inmate Workforce 2018 mowing season
Spring is here and that means it's mowing season for our Inmate Workforce! They were out on Princess Anne Road today, which is just one of the many streets we landscape for the City of Virginia Beach. For the next few months, they'll be busy mowing, edging and picking up trash from nearly 40 miles of Virginia Beach's busiest roads. The Workforce program saves taxpayers more than $800,000 a year and gives inmates the opportunity to earn time off their sentences.
Our deputies singing a belated "Happy Birthday" to Sheriff Ken Stolle! 🎉
Watch as we send off 400+ cyclists who are riding to Washington, D.C., to honor our fallen enforcement officers. The Law Enforcement United Inc. Virginia Division includes riders from all over the country, including a dozen cyclists and support staff from the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office. We wish everyone a safe and successful journey!
Sheriff Ken Stolle and our Inmate Workforce are out helping clean up the neighborhoods struck by yesterday's tornado. We've got three crews of inmates and deputies out working 'til the job's done, making sure our roadways and public areas are clear and safe. Thank you to everyone for their hard work, and our thoughts remain with everyone who was impacted.
Donation to WTKR's Holiday Helpers!
Working for the public safety and betterment of Virginia Beach under the leadership of Sheriff Ken Stolle. Services include jail ops and court security.
