Graduates include father-son duo
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office (VBSO) held Basic Academy Class (BAC) 58 graduation today, recognizing 13 deputy recruits’ successful completion of training. Among the 13 are a father-son duo, 32 years apart, who simultaneously were sworn in as deputy sheriffs with their 11 academy peers The graduates include U.S. Navy and Marine Corps veterans, three college graduates, volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club and the homeless, and two who turned 19 today.
Family, friends and city leadership, including Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate, attended the ceremony at Virginia Beach City Hall. Virginia Beach City Councilman Worth Remick gave the keynote address, telling the class to “be a life-long learner, have empathy and to have a work-life balance.”
Sheriff Rocky Holcomb focused part of his speech on the importance of family in a deputy sheriff’s life. “To those loved ones, please understand that this is not a journey we go alone; I promise you that we cannot manage this career without the love and understanding of our family members, and, so, for this graduating class, family is especially important because in this class not only do we have two birthdays but we have a father and son graduating,” Holcomb said. “To the graduates, never forget this, you will need the love and support of your family to help you through your career. Please make sure you share your journey with them each and every day.”
Holcomb remarked, “What lies within you, the modern-day deputy sheriff, are qualities of character to which very few will ever aspire and that will surely lead you to accomplish great things in your career,” he said. “Without fear or hesitation or reservation, it is you the deputy sheriff who will allow us to sleep peacefully at night. You cannot possibly be compensated for the heroic deeds that we ask and demand of you. In closing to each of you as you go forward in your career, be brave, be bold and be fearless in this noble profession you have chosen. Don’t count the years; make the years count.” 2
The 17-week VBSO Basic Academy includes training in Virginia law, arrest procedures, ethics, cultural diversity, firearms, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operations, first aid, crisis intervention (mental health) and more, spanning 80 classes and 500 hours. The graduates also complete rigorous physical fitness training and courses on the sheriff’s office’s core operations: 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, Court Security and Civil Process certifications.
The BAC 58 deputies, including class President Franz “Mike” Leek, 50, and Logan Leek, 18 (father and son), will be assigned to the Virginia Beach Correctional Center and bring the number of active, sworn VBSO deputies to 387.
The graduation was streamed live on Facebook and can be viewed at facebook.com/vbsheriffsoffice . Birthday deputies: Ava Coltrain and Ty Montgomery.
In November, the VBSO’s Training Academy earned its Law Enforcement certification from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). The new credential adds to the academy’s existing certifications — Basic Jailer, Court Security and Civil Process — and increases the level of training the academy can provide to its deputy sheriffs. Training staff is developing the Basic Academy curriculum to add more Law Enforcement training for future deputy recruits.
The starting salary for deputy recruits is $49,790, which increases to $52,280 after graduation from the Basic Academy, plus benefits. Additional information is available at vbso.net/sworn-positions .
Media contact: Email pio@vbso.net or contact Public Information Officer Toni Guagenti at tguagenti@vbso.net , 757-385-8446 or 757-373-5012.
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Superlative winners:
- Academic Deputy Benjamin Smith
- Physical Fitness Deputy Frank “Mike” Leek
- Top Gun Deputy Andrew Owens
- Top Driver Asher Sullivan
- Overall Asher Sullivan