Welcome to the Detective Bureau Division

The Virginia Beach Detective Bureau is comprised of almost 150 sworn and civilian staff who assume the duty to thoroughly investigate, and document criminal allegations in the service of victims and our community. Each unit focuses on a specific arena of criminal justice to provide a cadre of subject matter expertise. The staff deal on a daily basis with traumatized victims and witnesses, and the aftermath of horrific acts of violence with a professionalism unmatched. The Mission would not be accomplished were it not for the civilian staff who not only manage the public/investigator interface, but also provide services and guidance directly to people dealing with crises. Forensic Services, sometimes referred to as the “last responders”, work for hours in bio hazard environments to ensure evidence is collected that builds a case against the perpetrator and obtains exculpatory evidence for people who are innocent. The City of Virginia Beach is annually rated as one of the safest cities of our size and population as a direct result of the Investigative Activities performed by members of this Bureau.

Meet the Commanding Officer of the Detective Bureau

Captain Patrick Harris is originally from upstate New York, but after serving with the Virginia Beach Police Department for the past 26 years, he now considers Virginia Beach home.  He has worked in the Operations, Investigative, and Administrative Divisions, in varied assignments ranging from oceanfront operations to violent crime investigations supervisor. He has extensive experience overseeing numerous, high profile criminal investigations that have required multi-jurisdictional cooperation to achieve successful prosecutions. His professional experience includes assignments as the Executive officer of the Operations Division, Commander of the Internal Affairs Bureau and Captain of the Detective Bureau.     

Captain Harris holds a master’s degree from Saint Leo University in Criminal Justice with an emphasis on Critical Incident Management as well as a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Brockport University.  He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University, The Police Executive Leadership School, University of Richmond, and the Command Officers Management school at Saint Leo University.

Captain Harris is committed to the motto of the Virginia Beach Detective Bureau, “In service to the Victims of Crime.”