Our Instructors

Joe Baron

By the numbers: 38 years in law enforcement (Norfolk Police Department - 26 yrs., Norfolk Sheriff’s Office - 12 years); 22+ years supervision (corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, colonel, sheriff); 6 years as Norfolk’s Sheriff; 6 years military service.

Joe was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, graduating from Bayside High School in 1982 and then enlisting in the US Navy Reserves, where he worked in the aviation field for six years.

In 1985, he began his career in law enforcement, joining the Norfolk Police Department as a patrol officer. Over a span of 26 years, he worked at the officer’s rank in patrol and investigations. In 1995, Joe was selected to be Norfolk’s 1995 Top Cop Award recipient. Throughout his career, Joe earned many commendations and accolades for his work. His career in investigations included work in property and violent crimes investigations, with over 7 years as a homicide investigator. Joe was personally assigned 77 murder investigations and cleared 90% of those cases. As a supervisor, Joe worked as a patrol supervisor, and investigator in Internal Affairs, a supervisor in the homicide section, a Sector Commander, and later the Commander in charge of the Violent Crimes Unit.

As a Sector Commander, Joe became the police departments go to event organizer. He created ICS plans for about every major event including parades, presidential visits, festivals, marathons, and more. He used this knowledge to teach others how to get it done with a focus on the mission to keep people safe.

After retiring from the Norfolk Police Department in 2007, Joe went on to join the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office he has served as a liaison with outside law enforcements agencies and has been the officer in charge of records, booking, community affairs, and administrative services. In 2015, Joe was promoted to Chief Deputy was responsible for the day-to-day operations of Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.

In 2017, Joe became Sheriff for the city of Norfolk. During his six years as Sheriff, he has worked to improve employee morale, created a new mission with a set of organizational values, and focused on what his organization could do to make a difference. He inherited an organization with low morale, high turnover, and low trust from the community. Today, trust from the community is high and morale, according to one 37-year veteran, is the best seen.

Joe knows the challenges of supervision and leadership at every level. He knows what he expects of his staff and how to treat his staff with fairness, being their advocate, and letting them know how important they are to the organization. It is his mission and passion to share the lessons he has learned over his 22 years in leadership positions.

Joe is a graduate from the Professional Executive Leadership School (PELS) sponsored by the Virginia Police Chief’s Foundation and was voted by his fellow class participants to receive the PELS Graduate Leadership Award in 2008. Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from St. Leo University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Troy University. He is a board member on the Opioid Abatement Authority, the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, and the Legislative Committee for the Virginia Sheriff’s Association. Joe is currently serving as the state chair for Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.