Who We Are – Chesapeake Sheriff's Office

THE MISSION

“It is the mission of the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office to provide our citizens with high quality law enforcement services, in an ethical and fiscal responsible manner.”

WHAT WE
STAND FOR

As we endeavor to accomplish our mission, we acknowledge the following:

The Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office exists because of the community we serve. We are an organization of professionals committed to providing the highest level of law enforcement service in a sensitive and positive manner to all.
We recognize the value of human life and the dignity of all people, and strive to treat those with whom we come in contact with fairness, compassion and respect.
We recognize the importance of working together as members of the Sheriff’s Office to maintain a work environment which promotes trust, faith, respect and interpersonal support for all.
The badge is a symbol of public trust that we wear with great pride. With this in mind, we believe it is incumbent upon each of us to adhere to a high ethical standard to maintain the confidence of the citizens of the City of Chesapeake.
Our Office mission statement characterizes the position we hold. We are committed, in partnership with the citizens of the City of Chesapeake, to the creation of mutual trust and understanding, which will allow us to work together in preventing crime, in resolving mutual concerns and in establishing a safe and secure living environment

IN OUR COMMUNITY

History

Sheriff J. Arthur Hodges, the Sheriff of Norfolk County from 1944 to 1969 assumed the role of City Sergeant for the new City of Chesapeake. John R. Newhart, a former Chesapeake Police Officer ran and won the position of City Sergeant in 1969. Sheriff Newhart retired September 30, 2012, after 42 years in office. Jim O’Sullivan, Undersheriff, assumed the duties of Sheriff on October 1, 2012.

The Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office, by state statute, carries a dual responsibility of Corrections and Law Enforcement. The city of Chesapeake has a separate Police Department whose primary function is law enforcement and the Sheriff’s Office supports the Police Department in their pursuit of law enforcement functions. The Sheriff’s Office’s prime responsibility rests with the operation of the Chesapeake Correctional Center, transportation of inmates, providing security for all courts within the city, and serving as the law enforcement arm of the courts.

The Sheriff of the City of Chesapeake assumes a multi-faceted role beyond that imposed by state statute. The Sheriff is ultimately responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Sheriff’s Office, for the overall operation of the jail, and for the civil and court related functions. He is more than a local correctional administrator; he is the public administrator of a major office of city government.

The Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office is organized and operated in a semi-military manner. The department is divided into three sections: Administration, Corrections and Court Services.