The Virginia Beach Police Department’s Investigative Division is dedicated to the VBPD’s Mission by leveraging its expertise in the field of criminal investigations. The men and women of the Division, sworn and non-sworn, consists of some of the most motivated and dedicated professionals within American Policing. Each member of the division has specialized skills and many are among the most trained and credentialed specialists in the industry. The Investigative Division believes in the motto, “Victim First.”  From the simplest to the most complex investigations, we believe that our efforts serves a greater purpose, none more important then to find the truth and to serve the interest of the victim. One of the most important units within the Division but sadly least known is the Cold Case Unit. No unsolved homicide case is ever truly closed. We will never stop looking. We will never stop caring. We will never stop trying to bring closure to every unsolved homicide case, regardless of how old it maybe.    

We are also striving to enhance our community engagement opportunities to shed the greatest light possible on the activities of criminal investigations. We hope to enlighten the youth of our community to the virtues of American Policing and the challenges associated in the fields of forensic science and the art of “gumshoe” detective work.

One of the most compelling statistics associated with criminal investigations, as it relates to success, is the “clearance rate.” This relates to the ability of the agency to solve crimes. The VBPD has solved a greater percentage of crimes in every category then the national average. In many cases, we have doubled the national average as determined by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. This speaks volumes to why Virginia Beach is among the safetest cities our size in the nation.

Special Investigations (SI) is among the least known commands within the gaency for good reason. The men and women of the SI command operationalize their mission undercover and covertly. The outstanding work the men and women perform has had a huge impact on the distribution of the most dangerous and deadly drugs plaguing our community. Their efforts, often times unknown to even the uniform patrol officers, has helped identify and prosecute some of the most dangerous individuals in our community. Special Invstigations has also been pivotal in addressing human trafficking in our area and bringing resources to those victims who are among the most vulnerable.

The outcome of the May 31, 2019 mass shooting in Building 2 was the single most tragic and deadliest day in the history of our great city. The men and women of the VBPD’s Investigative Division stood the tallest in the midst of this tragedy and demonstrated their compassion and commitment to the task of piecing the events of that day. The leadership of the Investigative Division wishes to commend those within the Forensic Unit, Special Investigations Command and the Detective Bureau who worked tirelessly in an attempt to bring closure to this event.