Williamsburg, VA – The Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute is pleased to recognize the 2024 class of the VSI Certification Program during the 2024 VSI Spring Conference. The program promotes, recognizes and elevates the continued individual professional development of Virginia’s sheriffs and deputies. Sheriffs and deputies serving in the Commonwealth of Virginia carry immense responsibilities as the guardians of their communities, providing effective public safety services balanced with the fair and equitable treatment of every individual they encounter.
“I am honored to be a part of the VSI Certification Program and offer my congratulations to the 24 men and women who have completed it and to the 13 who were recertified this year,” said Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor, VSIC, President, Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute. “Each member of this year’s class has demonstrated a deep personal dedication to professional development, exemplifying professionalism and a commitment to instilling confidence in the public safety function of communities across Virginia. I strongly encourage my fellow Virginia sheriffs and their deputies to take part in the upcoming VSI Certification Program to learn new skills, attend additional training, and further their education above and beyond the core requirements of their position.”
Members of the 2024 class include:
Captain Darnell Black, Petersburg Sheriff’s Office
Captain Robert Brown, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Chief Deputy Russell Cyphers, Wise County Sheriff’s Office
Sergeant Lawrence DiBella, III, Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Jeremy Falls, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Jon “Scott” Foster, Fredericksburg Sheriff’s Office
2nd Lieutenant Jeffrey Haig, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Captain Jonathan Hankins, Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office
Lieutenant Andrew “Brad” Johnson, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Sergeant Nicholas Kugler, Accomack County Sheriff’s Office
Captain Timothy Lansberry, Page County Sheriff’s Office
Captain Dustin Lowe, Louisa County Sheriff’s Office
Major James Murphy, City of Roanoke Sheriff’s Office
Captain Deatria Muse, City of Roanoke Sheriff’s Office
Major Lowell Nevill, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office
Captain Charles Sanders, II, Wise County Sheriff’s Office
Detective Ryan Schmidt, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Steven Smith, Greene County Sheriff’s Office
Captain Danny Smith, Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff April Staton, Salem Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Arthur Townsend, Jr., Lunenburg County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy First Class Gloria Turin, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Senior Deputy Jacob Wright, Norfolk Sheriff’s Office
Major Michael Zeets, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office
The Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute would also like to recognize those that achieved recertification this year. Those include:
Sheriff Joseph Baron, Norfolk Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff James Brown, III, Charlottesville Sheriff’s Office
Major Thomas Carter, Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office
1st Lieutenant Milton Castelle, II, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Metin Cay, Falls Church Sheriff’s Office
Major David Hill, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Karl Leonard, Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office
Colonel Michael O’Toole, Norfolk Sheriff’s Office
Detective Austin Schwartz, Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office
Chief Deputy Jeffery Searfoss, Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Donald Sloan, Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office
Lieutenant Laurence Vermeer, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
Major Thomas West, York County-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office
The VSI Certification Program was developed by the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute (VSI) in cooperation with the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association (VSA), the Performance Management Group at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the National Center for Policing Innovation (NCPI).
For more information, please visit http://certification.vasheriffsinstitute.org/.