This paper examines agency politics within the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office (VBSO), exploring how internal police culture, external funding sources, and political structures shape organizational behavior. It provides background on the VBSO's history, governance, and responsibilities before analyzing a real case in which a high-ranking African-American female captain was effectively marginalized and ultimately not reappointed after raising concerns about misconduct and favoritism. The paper argues that politically motivated personnel decisions stifle talented officers and innovation, and proposes reforms such as citizen oversight committees and transferring employment contracts to insulate deputies from arbitrary political actions.
Persons wishing to become police officers in the United States must first pass a battery of tests designed to eliminate those who fail to meet the minimum standards (Thomas & Barringer, 2012, p. 1600–1601). Thus begins the indoctrination process for those who enter the academy and survive long enough to be offered a position within a policing agency. One of the first value systems recruits encounter is that of police culture, which does not always align with the official mission statement of the sponsoring policing agency. The continued indoctrination of new officers is the responsibility of senior training officers, and any resistance to becoming a member of the agency's culture would likely result in elimination of the officer from field training.
As Thomas and Barringer (2012) note, the effectiveness of a policing agency depends on the ability of its members to recognize and adapt to the many different value systems in existence within their jurisdiction. Within a city police department, for example, the values inherent to neighborhoods, the city government, news media outlets, oversight committees, the state government, and the federal government will at times align with agency culture — but not always. Negotiating this political landscape determines how successful the police will be in meeting their agency goals. The most common points of tension between agency and public values arise in cases of police misconduct, but internal conflict also emerges when talented officers attempt to challenge the status quo. What follows is an examination of the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, the political atmosphere in which it operates, and a recent example of what happens when agency politics come into conflict with external value systems.
The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office (VBSO) has a storied past (Stolle, 2013, p. 4). First established around 1645 and serving a population of approximately 1,000 colonists, the VBSO now serves close to half a million citizens residing in the City of Virginia Beach and nearly 2 million residents in the Princess Anne County metro area. Virginia Beach encompasses 307 square miles and is both a popular tourist destination and home to a large number of military installations. The city proper is situated along 38 miles of beach property, encompasses over 4,000 acres of parks, and hosts approximately 2.75 million overnight visitors each year.
Virginia Beach has its own police department with over 806 sworn officers and 166 civilian staff members (City Manager, 2014a). The Police Chief reports to the Virginia Beach City Manager, who acts as the Chief Executive Officer and is appointed by the City Council (City Manager, 2014b). The City Council has eleven members who must stand for reelection every two years. The mayor and three council members serve as at-large members, while the others must reside in their representative districts. The Mayor is elected every four years and presides over City Council meetings. Virginia Beach therefore operates under a Council-Manager form of government.
By comparison, the Sheriff of Virginia Beach oversees approximately 550 sworn officers and manages correctional services for the county (Stolle, 2013). All sheriffs in the State of Virginia are elected every four years by the citizens they serve (Virginia Sheriff's Association, 2014a). City sheriffs are all elected in one year, while county sheriffs are elected two years later in an alternating cycle. The Sheriff of Virginia Beach, a city sheriff, was reelected to office on November 5, 2013. The responsibilities of the Sheriff of Virginia Beach do not include law enforcement, which falls to the Virginia Beach Police Department (Virginia Sheriff's Association, 2014b). Instead, the VBSO is responsible for operating local jails, ensuring court security, providing inmate transportation, serving court papers to residents, and responding to emergencies.
Since funding can have a significant influence on a policing agency's politics, it is important to note that the VBSO depends on local, state, and federal sources for its operations (Stolle, 2013). The inmate count determines the level of funding received from state and federal sources, while local funding supports a number of other programs administered by the VBSO, including processing inmate intake and release, inmate medical and food contracts, jail maintenance, deputy salaries, and the D.A.R.E. program. The VBSO is also an integral component of local FEMA and Homeland Security responses to natural disasters and national security threats, respectively.
"Captain Lee's marginalization and wrongful non-reappointment"
"Reform proposals to curb political abuse in policing"
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