Goochland deputy Combs graduates from academy with honors

Deputy Combs’ academy graduation with honors gave Goochland County Sheriff’s Office another marker of the training and professionalism the agency says it needs to keep pace with the county’s public safety demands. The office shared photos and details of the achievement on social media, framing the milestone as more than a personal success for one deputy.

For Goochland residents, the distinction matters because the sheriff’s office is the county’s primary law enforcement agency. Its duties stretch well beyond patrol work, covering investigations, courthouse security, service of thousands of court papers each year and operation of the county’s 9-1-1 call center.

That broad workload makes recruit training and retention especially important in a county that says it consistently ranks as one of the safest, most well-run, business-friendly and family-friendly counties in Virginia. When a deputy graduates with honors, it points to a stronger bench of officers entering a system that depends on steady staffing, reliable service and local familiarity.

The sheriff’s office has also been clear that public safety in Goochland is not built only on enforcement. Its community division includes Citizens’ Academy classes, D.A.R.E., school resource officer work, National Night Out, Active Shooter Training, Child ID kits and other outreach programs meant to connect deputies with residents before a call for service ever comes in.

That Citizens’ Academy is an 11-week course held one night a week, with lectures, demonstrations, hands-on scenarios and tours designed to show residents how the office works behind the scenes. Successful participants may also be eligible for ride-alongs, another sign that the agency is trying to build a wider pipeline of people who understand the work and may eventually support it.

Combs’ graduation also fits a pattern of the office spotlighting professional development. In 2024, the agency said it was hiring deputy sheriffs for an April academy with a starting salary of $57,187, and it has highlighted recruit Ryan Pollock’s graduation from the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy after six months of intensive training. Sheriff Steven Creasey and Major Mike East have also been recognized with Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute certification awards, while Sgt. Ryan Leabough received a statewide award for community service and mentorship. Together, those milestones show an agency trying to strengthen both its ranks and its standards.