Ph: (757) 664-4700
Program designed for Norfolk Sheriff’s Office personnel to check in once a month on citizens aged 55 and older who meet certain requirements.
If you are interested in applying for the Senior Watch Program, Please fill out and submit the form below.
Camp HOPE Norfolk is the first summer camp and mentoring program in Virginia for children who have experienced primary or secondary abuse and trauma.
This groundbreaking camp, which offers a clinically-proven curriculum designed to help children overcome trauma to lead more hopeful lives, is being offered by the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the Family Justice Center. The camp is held at Camp Silver Beach.
What makes Camp HOPE Norfolk special is the trauma-informed lens the program was developed from. At Camp HOPE Norfolk, we praise campers for the person that they are becoming; seeing their character for who they are and not what they have accomplished. From the beginning, the goal has been to create a year-round program where youth can feel safe, seen, heard, encouraged, and cared for. Camp HOPE Norfolk is composed of a week of camp, supported by year-round activities.
The year-round piece of the Camp HOPE Norfolk program is intended to create a safe and nurturing community for not only the youth involved, but their families as well. The events held throughout the year are varied, ranging from team building activities to college tours. We want to continue to expose children and teens to potential careers they never would have known about, STEAM projects, hobbies and interests, etc., while also giving them positive role models and friends.
“We are thrilled to bring this extraordinary experience to children who have experienced trauma they did not deserve,” Lt. Meryah Breeden. “By founding a Camp HOPE in our region, we are taking an important step toward giving kids back part of the childhoods they have lost to abuse and trauma. 
We are also giving them hope they can lead safer, healthier lives free of trauma and abuse in the future.”
Camp HOPE Norfolk is modeled after several other Camp HOPE programs which have launched throughout the United States in recent years. The first Camp HOPE opened in San Diego, Calif. in 2003. Clinical research has shown these camps work; giving children who attend a greater sense of optimism and resiliency. This unique camp offers children an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature and the joys of summer. Camp HOPE Norfolk kids will also have a unique component of understanding their trauma and helping them cope with it and overcome it in a very committed way with a curriculum that’s there to help them overcome their experiences.
Children who are eligible are screened through the Family Justice Center, and will attend Camp HOPE Norfolk for free through grants procured through the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.
For more information please contact the Family Justice Center.
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office is proud to be a partner with the Life Enrichment Center (LEC). We have nearly 30 deputies and staff members who tutor children in reading in Norfolk Public Schools.It has been a rewarding experience for both the children and our staff. Here is a note one of our staff members wrote about her experience in the program.
“I just wanted you to know that I have successfully completed the LEC literacy tutoring program at P. B. Young Sr. Elementary School. I enjoyed every minute of it. My child went from a kindergarten reading level to reading 2nd grade level. It was a rewarding experience,” an NSO staff member wrote.
The Life Enrichment Center (LEC) is a non-profit organization providing literacy tutoring and other life-giving initiatives for elementary students from Title I Schools in Hampton Roads.
The Norfolk Sheriff's Office takes pride in being a progressive organization that provides an inclusive work environment and a diverse staff. Over the years, the NSO has built a strong relationship between the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) community.
Continuing that relationship, Sheriff Joe Baron implemented an on-staff LGBTQ liaison, Lieutenant Meryah Breeden. Lieutenant Xavier Kent supports her as the Assistant LGBTQ Liaison.
Sheriff Baron was the first sheriff in Hampton Roads to initiate this type of position, which is similar to others recently created by police departments across the country.
LQBT Liason
LGBTQ Assistant Liason
More than 700 seniors enjoyed the most recent Senior Fest hosted by the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office at Scope Arena. Residents ages 55 and up learned about resources from more than 70 vendors, while enjoying live entertainment and free lunch.
“At the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, we are committed to taking care of our seniors. I’d like to thank our Community Outreach team for spending months and countless hours organizing this successful, important event for our seniors,” Norfolk Sheriff Joe Baron said.
Senior Fest is designed to showcase a wide variety community resources - from free health screenings, cost savings, and job opportunities to joining social groups. “As seniors become older, they become less mobile. This is a one stop shop for anything they could need,” Lt. Meryah Breeden said.
For instance, Dominion Power representatives spoke about ways seniors can reduce their monthly bills, AARP provided information about jobs, and Hampton Roads Transit talked about ways for seniors to get around. Medical professionals offered free flu shots, A1C tests, blood pressure checks, and the Lions Club provided hearing and eye testing. Groups like Primeplus Senior Center and the Chrysler Museum outlined upcoming wellness and social events. Realtors who specialize in helping seniors sell their homes and downsize were also on sight.
It was also an opportunity for seniors to connect with civic leaders, including: Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander; Norfolk City Council Members Courtney Doyle, Andria McClellan, and Mamie Johnson; Senator Lionell Spruill, Delegate Cliff Hayes, and Delegate Jay Jones; Norfolk Clerk of the Circuit Court George Schaefer; Norfolk Fire Rescue Chief Wise; Brent Johnson from the Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney's Office; and William Shackelford with the Office of the Attorney General.
This Senior Fest was the second annual Sheriff Joe Baron Foundation Senior Support Services Seminar. Barbara Ciara and Les Smith of WTKR News 3 emceed the event. The NSO would like to recognize our “Senior Fest” Senior Services Support Seminar Sponsors: Dominion Power, City of Norfolk, Summit Foods, Hampton Roads Transit, Norfolk Housing and Redevelopment, Keefe Commissary, AARP, Town Bank, Walmart, PrimePlus Senior Center, and QVS LLC. Stay tuned for our next planned Senior Fest!
Our Safety Print ID Program is a free program offering both Kid Prints and non-government Senior ID Cards.
Kid Prints: Both sworn and civilian NSO support staff go into the community and provide identification kits, including photos and fingerprints for children under age 18 and/or adults who have special needs. The card is then given to their parent or guardian. Photo identification with fingerprints gives vital information to law enforcement when locating a missing child.
Senior ID Cards: This service is available to senior citizens who reside in the City of Norfolk.
If you are interested in including this program at your upcoming community event, contact NSO Community Affairs at (757) 441-1066 or submit the form below.
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Senior Watch Program is a community outreach and wellness-check initiative designed to support older adults living in the City of Norfolk. The program promotes safety, connection, and well-being through regular contact with participating seniors.
Program Overview
Senior Watch is a free public safety program in which Sheriff’s Office personnel conduct monthly wellness check-ins with enrolled seniors.
The program serves:
Program Goals
Program Management
The program is managed by the Community Affairs Division of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office. Currently, two deputies conduct monthly visits for approximately 80 participating seniors.
Enrollment
Participation is voluntary. Eligible seniors complete an application and, once approved, are added to the monthly wellness check schedule.
Who Benefits
Senior Watch is especially helpful for seniors living alone, those with limited family support nearby, and families seeking additional reassurance for loved ones.
If you are interested in applying for the Senior Watch Program, Please fill out and submit the adjacent form.
Our Safety Print ID Program is a free program offering both Kid Prints and non-government Senior ID Cards.
Kid Prints: Both sworn and civilian NSO support staff go into the community and provide identification kits, including photos and fingerprints for children under age 18 and/or adults who have special needs. The card is then given to their parent or guardian. Photo identification with fingerprints gives vital information to law enforcement when locating a missing child.
Senior ID Cards: This service is available to senior citizens who reside in the City of Norfolk.
If you are interested in including this program at your upcoming community event, contact NSO Community Affairs at (757) 441-1066 or submit the form below.
Norfolk's TRIAD is a partnership developed between the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office, Norfolk Police Department, Norfolk Fire-Rescue, the Office of the Attorney General, and PrimePlus Senior Center.
Each of these agencies 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.
Meetings are held on the fourth Friday of each month at the Titustown Recreation Center, 7545 Diven Street, Norfolk, VA 23505. Please feel free to join us for any of these. All are welcome.
Here's our schedule for 2026:
Interested in speaking at a TRIAD meeting? To request the opportunity to speak at an upcoming TRIAD meeting, please fill out the form below.
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Many families have loved ones who are prone to wandering, due to Alzheimer’s, Autism, Dementia or Down Syndrome.
Norfolk Sheriff’s Office is here to help with Project Lifesaver, which was implemented in 2001.
Once you are approved to be on the Project Lifesaver Program, we will place a personalized radio transmitter on your loved one. If they wander away, you can call the Project Lifesaver number to help find them, which is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Once in the vicinity, lost loved ones are usually found within minutes. These devices, about the size of a wrist-watch, emit a signal for about a half mile radius that is used to track the device.
Beginning on March 1, 2023, Sheriff Joe Baron and the Norfolk Sheriff's Office discontinued the $10.00 monthly service charge, making this life-saving service 100% FREE.
NSO has rescued more than 400 people since the program started in 2001. That’s the most rescues out of over 1,600 Project Lifesaver public safety organizations nationwide.Certified Project lifesaver personnel are ready to respond day or night in the event a client becomes lost.
For more information about Project Lifesaver please call (757) 328-2485.
You can also visit their website at https://www.projectlifesaver.org
If you would like to sign up for the Project Lifesaver International Program, please fill out the inquiry form below and someone from our department will be in touch shortly.
Project Lifesaver
(757) 664-4749
The Sheriff Joe Baron Foundation
