Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office holds 46th Basic Academy graduation

The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office today held its 46th Basic Academy graduation ceremony, recognizing 18 deputy recruits’ successful completion of training.

More than 66% of the graduates (12) have college degrees ranging from associate’s to master’s degrees and 17% (three) served in the military, all in the U. S. Navy. Many are from Hampton Roads. Others come from as far away as Los Angeles and have varied past careers that include working for Cox Communications, Target and Tidewater Community College. Several have prior public safety experience, including working for the Virginia Beach Police Department, Hampton Sheriff’s Office and Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office.

Virginia Sen.-elect Jen Kiggans delivered the commencement address, thanking the deputies for the role they play in keeping Virginia Beach safe. She said they are well-prepared to meet the physical and mental challenges of the job thanks to their training.

“You all have had 16 weeks of intense training and are well prepared for what lies ahead. The responsibility is now yours to keep our prisons, our roads and our communities safe,” Kiggans said. “I’ve always felt safe here in Virginia Beach and that was thanks to you guys.”

The 16-week Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office Basic Academy includes training in Virginia law, ethics, cultural diversity, firearms, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operations and first aid. The graduates also completed rigorous physical fitness training and courses pertaining to the Sheriff’s Office various functions: Corrections, Court Transportation and Security, and Civil Process. They each successfully met the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services requirements for graduation and have earned their Basic Jailer and Civil Process certifications.

Deputy Nickolas Rubes, the class president, remarked on the lifesaving response by police and deputy sheriffs to the May 31 shooting at the Municipal Center and the role their training played in preparing them to respond.

“Our training as deputies has begun to evolve to be more equipped and prepared to protect our city alongside our brothers and sisters in the Virginia Beach Police Department,” Rubes said.

The deputies will be assigned to the Virginia Beach Correctional Center and bring the number of active, sworn Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office deputies to 423.

The application process to become a Virginia Beach sheriff’s deputy is extremely competitive. In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, 149 people applied and 66 were hired.

Sheriff Ken Stolle thanked the families of the recruits and the Sheriff’s Office Training staff, who he credited for the high caliber of the Sheriff’s Office.

“This is the most elite law enforcement organization in the state of Virginia,” Stolle said. “I truly believe that. And you all are the ones that make it so elite.”

He also addressed the recruits.

“I just want to thank you for your dedicated service,” Stolle said. “You’re doing this for a grateful community, a grateful state and a grateful country and I can’t think of a better profession to be associated with than law enforcement, to be trusted by the community to provide for their safety.”

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact: Kathy Hieatt, Public Information Officer: 757.570.1923.