VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office (VBSO) today held the Basic Academy Class (BAC) 59 graduation, recognizing 20 deputy recruits’ successful completion of training.
Every deputy recruit who started BAC 59 in May made it to graduation, a 100% graduation rate. This graduating class is 40% military veterans who served in the U.S. Navy, Army, Marine Corps and Air Force. Eight are college graduates. Their backgrounds include jobs in sales, security, dog training, the U.S. Postal Service, Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation and more.
“I’ve been in this business a long time and rarely do you start with 20 and end with 20,” said Sheriff Rocky Holcomb, addressing BAC 59. “You realize how difficult it is in a training academy. You made it – all 20 – and I’m so proud.”
Family, friends and city leadership, including Mayor Bobby Dyer and keynote speaker Virginia Beach City Councilman “Cash” Green, attended the ceremony at Virginia Beach City Hall. The graduation was streamed live on Facebook and can be viewed at facebook.com/vbsheriffsoffice .
“This graduation, it’s more than a ceremony, it’s a passage, a moment when recruits become deputies, when trainees become guardians of the community,” said Holcomb. “From this day forward, the badge you wear will not just reflect who you are, it will represent every person you’ve been sworn to protect and serve. Law enforcement is not a job, it’s a calling, and it’s a calling that demands integrity in the quiet moments, courage when no one is watching and compassion in the most difficult circumstances. … Be the deputy sheriff that you would want responding for your own call to help.”
The VBSO Basic Academy is over 17 weeks and 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 VBSO’s core operations: Corrections, Court Transportation and Security, and Civil Process. They each successfully met the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) requirements for graduation and have earned their Basic Jailer, Court Security and Civil Process certifications.
This is the first BAC to graduate since the VBSO Training Academy earned its DCJS Law Enforcement certification in November 2024. The new credential adds to the academy’s existing certifications and increases the level of training it can provide. Training staff are updating the Basic Academy curriculum to add more law enforcement training for future deputy recruits.
The BAC 59 deputies will be assigned to the Virginia Beach Correctional Center and bring the number of active, sworn VBSO deputies to 363.
The starting salary for deputy recruits is $54,766.40, which increases to $57,504.72 after graduation from the Basic Academy, plus benefits. The VBSO is hiring for both sworn and civilian positions. Information on how to become a Virginia Beach deputy sheriff is available at vbso.net/sworn-positions .
Media contact: Email pio@vbso.net or contact Public Information Officer Toni Guagenti at tguagenti@vbso.net or 757-373-5012.