Each weekend, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office allows nonviolent offenders to serve their weekend jail sentence working in the community doing civic league projects to improve their neighborhoods.

For assistance in your community, please call 441-6001 or send an email toNicholas Keisel (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with a contact person and phone number for your next neighborhood cleanup.

Please call or fax at least two weeks before the date of your event.

Due to the popularity of this program, available dates go fast. For offender information for paying instructions and applications, please call 664-4948 or email Lisa Hales (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Our office is the first in Virginia to start using GPS technology to monitor offenders in the community. About 300 non-violent criminals serve their sentences at home, saving the City of Norfolk nearly $650,000 in jail housing costs each year.

In 1986, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office started monitoring inmates by “electronic ping” technology. The device only worked if the offender was close to the receiver at home. That’s why the NSO was eager to switch to GPS technology in 2005, tracking inmates off satellite towers. “That also allowed us to have exclusion zones and to have a 24-7 knowledge of where they are at all times,” Lt. Col. Mike O’Toole said.

Out of all the jails in Virginia, the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office has the most offenders on GPS monitoring each day.

Our Work Release Program provides paid employment with private employers for non-violent offenders. At night, these inmates return to jail to serve their sentences.

About 50 inmates are working for local businesses each day, making around $9 an hour to help pay off their court fines. The Work Release Program collects $150,000 in child support and over $55,000 in court costs/restitution annually, which helps with our goal of easing the transition from incarceration to the community for offenders.

Norfolk Sheriff’s Office staff found nearly 200 new jobs for inmates, which the offenders can keep once they are released from custody.

Additional services provided by the Work Release Program include intensive drug treatment help at our jail, focusing on alcohol and drug rehabilitation, anger management, life skills and development. If inmates complete the 90 day course, they can get out of jail a couple months early.

The Sheriff Joe Baron Foundation is proud to offer free summer and sports camps for Norfolk girls and boys. Please note the difference in age requirments for the sports and summer camps.

These are great opportunities for kids in Norfolk to participate in many fun activities and to interact with other kids.

There is no cost to attend these camps.

2018 Camp Dates:

 The Sheriff Joe Baron Sports Camps will be June 18– June 22, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
*Norfolk boys and girls ages 10 to 14 are eligible.

• June 18 and 19 - Football camp at ODU S.B. Ballard Stadium
• June 20 - Baseball camp at NSU Marty Miller Baseball Field
• June 21 and 22 - Basketball camp at location TBA

Click HERE to Register or Learn More

 The Sheriff Joe Baron Summer Camps will be held at Camp Apasus in Norfolk in July 2018 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
*Norfolk boys and girls ages 9 to 13 are eligible to attend one week only, in order to be able to provide the opportunity to more children. Please note the summer camps are aimed toward children, ages 9 to 13, due to the nature of the activities.

• Week one: July 9-13
• Week two: July 16-20
• Week three: July 23-27

Click HERE to Register or Learn More

About our Camps:

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office community outreach team leads the camps as a way to engage children in positive activities during the summertime, and show kids that they can trust law enforcement officers. The summer camps are held at Camp Apasus, off of Granby Street in Norfolk, and the sports camps take place at athletic facilities throughout the city.

During the sports camps, kids participate in a variety of sports, including baseball, football, and basketball. The children also learn how to set goals, and plan for their future. Sheriff Baron has teamed up with Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University to allow college athletes and coaches to speak with the kids about their careers, applying to colleges, and how playing sports can help them learn values like discipline and perseverance. The summer camps include a variety of activities like swimming, painting, canoeing, doing archery, and field trips to places like the Virginia Zoo.

The camps are conducted in partnership with Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, ODU, NSU, Norfolk Parks and Recreation, Norfolk Police Department, the Norfolk Fire Department, and the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office. Norfolk Public Schools provides transportation and food for the kids.

Hundreds of Norfolk seniors enjoy day especially meant for them

It would be hard to overemphasize how pleased the Norfolk Sheriff's Office is with how our Senior Support Services Seminar turned out. Hundreds of older Norfolk residents were able to participate in an event focused on them and their unique needs.

It began at 9 a.m. with vendor exhibits. The NSO honor guard did the presentation of colors followed by an invocation by Rev. Dr. Kirk T. Houston, Sr. and lunch. Mayor Alexander spoke and Sheriff Baron presented plaques to the key sponsors: Irwin Pharmacy, Anthem, Attorney General's Office, and Dominion Power.

We had over 500 attendees. The 65 vendors who signed up for the event provided access to services and products that helped make it a huge success. One guest said that the vendors could not have done a better job explaining their services and she really appreciated them.

The entertainment was awesome and enjoyed by everyone in attendance. The seniors loved winning door prizes, as well as the flowers on the table which were donated by Lowes.

Our guests seemed very appreciative when the elected and city officials, staff, and volunteers all lined up to present them with door prizes donated by the exhibitors toward the end of the seminar. 

Many thanks to Mayor Alexander, Congressman Scott, Senator Spruill, Delegate Sessons-Hester, Norfolk Councilwomen Williams-Graves and Johnson (not pictured), Norfolk Councilwoman McClellan, Mr. Shackleford (Attorney General's Office), School Board Member Dr. Gabriel, Rev. Dr. Houston, and Mr. Crittendon of the City of Norfolk for attending.

We can't possibly express sufficient thanks to our sponsors and special contributors.

Our Platinum Sponsor was Irwin's Pharmacy. Our Gold Sponsors were Anthem HealthKeepers and The Office of Attorney General Mark Herring. Our Bronze Sponsors were Sentara, Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and PrimePlus. Our Special Contributors were Lowes, Sam's Club (flu shots) EVMS, Norfolk Coffee & Tea, Naa's Bakery and the City of Norfolk (free parking).

We look forward to an even bigger and better event next year. Check back in late summer of 2018 for more information.

Straight Talk from The Heart Jail Tours:

This is a program whose mission is to show the realities of being incarcerated in the Norfolk City Jail to our city’s youth (participants age 10-17).

The goal is to keep our city’s children from participating in criminal activities and to become productive members of society.

Students must reside in the City of Norfolk.

Tours are conducted on the 3rd Thursday of each month.

You will receive notification from The Community Affairs staff verifying your application and acceptance into this program.

TRIAD Partnership is a partnership developed between the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, Norfolk Police Department, Norfolk Fire-Rescue, the Commonwealth Attorney’s office, AARP, Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia, Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority, Norfolk Parks, Recreation & Open Spaces and the Office of the Attorney General.

Together each agency has agreed to work together to reduce the criminal victimization of senior citizens and the elderly. Our purpose is to develop, enhance and implement effective prevention and education programs for the senior citizen community members of Norfolk.

Monthly meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of every month at the Norfolk Senior Center, 7300 Newport Avenue, Norfolk, VA.

In our Safety Print ID Program, sworn and civilian support staff goes out into the community and provide identification kits with photos and fingerprints to children under age 16 and their parents.

Photo identification with fingerprints gives vital information to help with locating a missing child. We encourage you to visit one of our free child identification and fingerprinting outreach programs at these community events.

This service is also available to senior citizens who suffer from Alzheimer’s-Dementia and to mentally challenged adults and teens.