Alexandria Gets 11 New Police Officers, 10 Deputy Sheriffs

ALEXANDRIA, VA—21 new law enforcement officers have joined the Alexandria Police Department and Sheriff's Office after graduating from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy on June 20.

The graduating class included 11 police officers and 10 deputy sheriffs. They were part of the Session 138’s graduation ceremony. Among the highlights were Deputy Marissa McElveen receiving the award for highest physical fitness score among female recruits, Officer Neale Marquez earning the second highest score in physical fitness among male recruits, and Officer Michael Raines achieving the second highest score in firearms training. Deputy Matthew Vance sang the national anthem, while Marquez and Raines were both part of the Honor Guard that presented the colors.

All 21 graduates completed 20 weeks of training, which includes emergency vehicle operations, firearms training, defensive tactics, crash investigation, basic legal training and other areas. Deputies completed four additional weeks of training in jail and courthouse procedures.

The academy provides training for 17 local law enforcement agencies. These include the the Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, City of Fairfax Police Department, City of Falls Church Police Department, City of Falls Church Sheriff’s Office, George Mason University Police Department, Leesburg Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Manassas City Police Department, Manassas Park City Police Department, Middleburg Police Department, Northern Virginia Community College Police, Purcellville Police Department, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Police and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

Alexandria police officers were sworn in the day prior to the graduation. See photos of the ceremony below.

Main photo from left to right: Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, Deputy Matthew Vance, Deputy Jessica Duenas, Deputy Marissa McElveen, Deputy Elizabeth Oglesby, Deputy Ryan Finley, Deputy Emilia Ramirez, Deputy Bennie Evans III, Deputy Eloy Reyes, Deputy Dallas Phillips, Officer Michael Raines, Officer Myles Garrett, Officer Vincent Williams, Officer Mudasar Iqbal, Officer Robbi Stevens White, Officer Nataliia Vasylenko, Officer Alexis Howard, Officer Neale Marquez, Officer Garrah Dougherty, Officer Stephanie Kimmel and Chief Michael L. Brown, Image via Alexandria Police