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Message from the Sheriff
Welcome, we are pleased that you have taken time to visit our website! The New Kent County Sheriff's Office website has been made available to the citizens of our great county and the region as an opportunity to gain information about our agency. We are very proud of our office and of the relationship we have with our community. The New Kent Sheriff's Office serves a resident population estimated to be in excess of 23,000 citizens. In addition to the resident population, we serve the daily commuters who pass through our county on the various major transportation arteries and those who are employed within the county. This office provides law enforcement services to the county 24 hours a day - 7 days a week and serves as the primary law enforcement agency for New Kent County. Our office is a full-service law enforcement agency operating several operational components, these include: Operations (Patrol, Special Operations, Investigations, School Resource Officers and Auxiliary), Services (Courts, Civil Process, and Animal Control), the Emergency Communications Center, and support and administrative personnel.
Sheriff J. J. "Joe" McLaughlin, Jr
In April of 2003, your Sheriff's Office proudly became an Accredited Law Enforcement Agency. At that time this office became one of the few agencies in the state to be accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission Program. The Commission is made up of six (6) Virginia Chiefs of Police and six (6) Virginia Sheriffs. The Commission was established by The Virginia Sheriff's Association, Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Department of Criminal Justice Services to serve as the state accreditation body for law enforcement. The accreditation process consists of a systematic review of policies and procedures and the evaluation of the standards set forth by the Commission. The New Kent Sheriff's Office is re-assessed by this Commission every four years and in April of 2019, your Sheriff's Office was re-accredited for the fourth time by the VLEPSC Board. I was appointed to represent Virginia Sheriffs as a VLEPSC member in January 2016.
The Sheriff's Office's personnel are dedicated to continuing to provide the highest standard of service to the citizens of New Kent County and those individuals visiting our county. We are fortunate to have a staff of dedicated professionals who care about the county and who take great pride in serving you. After serving this office since June 30, 1981, in a variety of enforcement roles under Sheriff F. W. Howard, Jr., I was elected to serve as the Sheriff of New Kent County on November 3, 2015. We took office on January 1, 2016, with a very smooth transition for the members of this office. I am humbled to serve as your Sheriff and to manage such a fine law enforcement organization. This agency is blessed with tremendous personnel and a trusted relationship with the First Responder community in New Kent and in the region. I am extremely proud of the men and women who have chosen to serve the citizens of New Kent County and who are dedicated to doing their best each and every day. Community involvement continues to be at the forefront of the activities of this office, because our citizens are our customers.
The success of this office is dependent upon the support and assistance we receive from the citizens of the county. We cannot do it alone; we are requesting your involvement in our county. We need and appreciate your support and your information. Information regarding criminal activities can be reported anonymously by contacting the Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers by calling (804) 780-1000.
If we can assist you in any way, please feel free to contact our office at (804) 966-9500 or visit us at the Sheriff's Office which is located at 11995 Courthouse Circle (P.O. Box 186) New Kent, Virginia 23124. We are available to speak at group functions on such topics as crime prevention, home, business and personal security, crime trends in the area, etc.