Greetings

My name is Joe Baron and I am the Sheriff for the City of Norfolk, Virginia. I was initially elected in November 2017, and reelected in 2021.

I am now running for reelection in 2025.

As a new Sheriff, I knew I wanted to change the focus of the Sheriff’s Office and I wanted to make a difference. So I decided every single action we take needs to be through the lens of taking care of people. With that in mind, I have made it our purpose to focus on making great improvements in employee morale, inmate care, and improving community outreach and relationships.

It’s working!

Employee morale is up as we take every opportunity to show appreciation with awards, certificates, a personal hand shake, an open door policy, and taking the time to listen with care and compassion.

Inmate care has improved as we focus on mental health and medical care, evidence based programs, and vocational / work opportunities. In fact, we are the only Sheriff’s Office statewide that offers a combined vocational and work release program. Our partnership with Priority Automotive and TCC is changing lives and helping inmates become productive citizens again.

I have expanded our community outreach programs and we now have an annual event which connects over 700 senior citizens to resources in our community. I also provide free summer camps for Norfolk youth along with our annual sports camp. Touching the lives of over a thousand citizens every year in a positive way.

I am committed to creating a values driven organization with a focus on public safety, public services, and public trust while creating an environment of life, health, safety, and security. Our new motto is to serve in the spirit of the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

The values I encourage my staff to live by include integrity in all things, respect at all times, duty without prejudice, pride without ego, and team before self.

The NSO is in fact making a difference and that is what it’s all about. If we stay focused on what really matters, then I am excited to see what the future holds for our organization. Our culture is changing. We are becoming more caring and compassionate. We are becoming more responsive to the needs and concerns of our community and the people in our care. With our mission in place, our core values as a guide, and a motto worth living up to, I am confident the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office will be an organization to emulate, forever giving the very best of who we are and can be every single day.


Sheriff Joe Baron