Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia, with a population of over 450,000.1 Known for its Atlantic Ocean beachfront, inland waterways, and year-round tourism, the city offers a wide-ranging environment for law enforcement work. The Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) is the largest municipal law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth and hires both entry-level recruits and experienced lateral officers. Candidates interested in joining the department can find the selection, training, and career details below.

Virginia Beach Police Officer Requirements

To qualify for an entry-level position with the VBPD, candidates must meet the following minimum qualifications:2

  • Be at least 20 years old when applying
  • Reach age 21 by the academy completion date
  • Understand that VBPD enforces a mandatory retirement age of 65 for sworn positions
  • Hold US citizenship
  • Qualify for a Virginia or North Carolina driver’s license
  • Have earned a high school diploma or a GED
  • Agree to remain tobacco-free on and off duty as a condition of hire
  • Be able to meet and sustain the department’s physical fitness standards

Applicants also cannot have any felony convictions, convictions for misdemeanor sex offenses, domestic assault convictions, or convictions for misdemeanors involving moral turpitude. Certain driving-related convictions within the past five years (including DUI, eluding police, racing, and hit-and-run), recent illegal drug use, a dishonorable military discharge, and dishonesty during the application or testing process are also automatic disqualifiers.

Candidates begin by submitting an online application through the City of Virginia Beach and completing a personal history questionnaire. Those who move forward take part in written and physical ability testing, followed by a polygraph examination, a detailed background investigation, and medical and psychological evaluations. Applicants who clear every stage may receive a conditional offer of employment and an assignment to an upcoming recruit academy class. The VBPD also runs an abbreviated lateral track for officers who already hold Virginia DCJS certification, with a hiring incentive available for qualified lateral hires.

For more information about becoming a law enforcement officer in a big city like Virginia Beach, check out 10 Steps to Becoming a Police Officer on our home page. For full details on each step and to apply, visit the VBPD recruiting site.

Virginia Beach Police Academy

New hires attend the Virginia Beach Police Academy, a 26-week program operated by the VBPD Training Bureau that prepares recruits to meet Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) certification standards.3 The curriculum blends classroom instruction in constitutional law, criminal investigation, and report writing with practical training in firearms, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operation, and scenario-based problem solving. Two recruit academies are conducted each year. Following graduation, new officers complete a field training phase alongside a certified training officer before moving into solo patrol duty. Certified lateral applicants may qualify for an abbreviated training track in place of the full recruit academy.

Salary, Benefits, and Jobs Outlook

VBPD recruits earn a salary while attending the academy, with a pay increase upon graduation and continued progression through the department’s four-step career ladder from Police Officer I to Master Police Officer II.3 The table below summarizes base pay at key points in the career progression.

Service TimeAnnual Base SalaryMonthly Base
Recruit (in academy)$54,766$4,564
Police Officer I (post-academy)$57,504$4,792
Certified Lateral (starting)$59,613$4,968
Master Police Officer II (top of progression)$108,340$9,028

Annual raises are set by Virginia Beach City Council during each budget cycle. Additional pay is available for field training officers (an extra $6.67 per hour while training a recruit), degree-holders, officers with a qualifying second language, and longevity milestones.3

Benefits include medical and dental benefit options for officers and eligible dependents, vision coverage, flexible spending or health savings accounts, life and long-term care insurance, and short- and long-term disability. Paid leave covers vacation, sick, compensatory, court, jury, military, and funeral time, along with six weeks of paid parental leave and 14 paid holidays (11 fixed plus three flex days). An Employee Assistance Program, an on-site wellness clinician, peer support, and a chaplain program round out the wellness offerings. Retirement is provided through the Virginia Retirement System with a hazardous duty supplement, and tuition reimbursement is available for officers pursuing further education.3

In Virginia, employment of police and sheriff’s patrol officers is projected to grow 5% from 2022 to 2032, with approximately 1,470 new positions added each year on average, according to Projections Central.4 The number of officers hired by VBPD in any given year is also shaped by retirements, attrition, and the city’s public safety budget.

Find open Virginia Beach police officer listings on our jobs board.

Career Advancement at VBPD

All VBPD officers begin their careers as Police Officer I following academy graduation. The department’s career progression model moves officers through Police Officer II and Master Police Officer I before reaching the Master Police Officer II top step at $108,340 per year.3 Specialty assignments become available once an officer completes the 12-month probationary period, with options spanning K-9, marine patrol, the mounted unit, the bomb squad, helicopter operations, detective bureau assignments, SWAT, and community-facing roles.

Promoted ranks at VBPD include Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and higher command positions. Sergeants can earn up to $119,445 per year.3 Time in grade, evaluation results, and departmental examinations determine eligibility for each promotional step.

Cities and Police Departments Near Virginia Beach

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 4,140 police and sheriff’s patrol officers work in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metropolitan area, with a mean annual wage of $66,600 as of May 2024.5 In addition to opportunities with the VBPD, law enforcement professionals in the region can also explore careers with the Chesapeake Police Department, the Norfolk Police Department, the Hampton Police Division, the Newport News Police Department, and the Portsmouth Police Department. For more information about police departments across the state, see our Virginia page.

Additional Resources

VBPD Contact

1. US Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Virginia Beach city, Virginia: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/virginiabeachcityvirginia/PST045224
2. Virginia Beach Police Department, Qualifications: https://police.virginiabeach.gov/careers/qualifications
3. Virginia Beach Police Department, Salary and Benefits: https://joinvbpd.com/salary-and-benefits
4. Projections Central, Long-Term Occupational Projections, Virginia (via O*NET OnLine): https://www.onetonline.org/link/localtrends/33-3051.00?st=VA
5. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC: https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0047260