Media Guide

Sheriff Rocky Holcomb and the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office are committed to openness and transparency and to fostering positive working relationships with members of the news media. Those relationships are vital to keeping the public informed about public safety issues and the workings of government.

All media inquiries for information and stories about the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, including requests to interview Sheriff Holcomb or other members of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, must be submitted through the Public Information Office at (757) 385-8446 or pio@vbso.net . Requests to interview individuals incarcerated in the Virginia Beach Correctional Center should also be submitted through the PIO. Visit inmate interview requests for additional information.

Current inmate booking information and mug shots are available here . Information on individuals who have been released from custody, including mug shots, is available through the PIO.

The Public Information Office is staffed during normal business hours, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. We will do our best to respond to media requests received outside those hours (on nights, weekends and holidays) within reason given available staffing. Urgent after-hours media requests should be called or texted to the on-call Public Information Officer .

The VBSO Public Information Office is staffed by Public Information Officer Toni Guagenti and Strategic Communications Consultant Kathy Hieatt.

Requests for documents through the Freedom of Information Act should be submitted through the Professional Standards Office at pso@vbso.net . Additional information is available on our FOIA page.

The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office is responsible for operating the Virginia Beach Correctional Center, providing security at the Virginia Beach Courthouse and serving civil paperwork. It also is heavily involved in community service. The most detailed information about the VBSO’s programs and operations is published in its annual report each year.

For information on police cases and investigations, contact the Virginia Beach Police Department Public Affairs Office at VBPDPublicAffairs@vbgov.com or (757) 385-4097.

Reporters coming into the Virginia Beach Correctional Center should be dressed appropriately and adhere to the following dress code (which applies to all persons coming into the jail):

• Close-toed shoes with heels no higher than 1½”;
• Covered shoulders (no tank tops or tube tops); and
• No short skirts or shorts (no more than 3” above the knees).

Reporters may be permitted to bring cameras (including cellphones) into the jail, but are prohibited from filming exit locations, security features (such as security camera locations), paperwork and inmates’ faces without their permission. As with all visitors to the Correctional Center, reporters may be subject to search and are required to adhere to deputy instructions at all times.

Large bags should not be brought into the facility, but may be secured in the PIO’s office. No weapons, sharp objects, liquids, aluminum cans, matches, lighters or tobacco products are permitted inside the secure area of the jail.