Sheriff B.J. Roberts

B.J. Roberts became a resident of Virginia at an early age, and was educated in the Newport News and Hampton public school systems. Roberts went on to attend the Thomas Nelson Regional Police Academy in 1972, and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Hampton University in 1986. Always seeking to further educate himself, Sheriff Roberts has completed the Northwestern University Public Safety Management School in Evanston, Illinois; the National Sheriffs Institute (NSI) program conducted at the National Institute of Corrections Center at Longmont, Colorado; and the Virginia Sheriffs Institute Chief Executive Training Program.

Sheriff Roberts began his law enforcement career as a patrolman on the Newport News Police Force. He then launched a 19-year career with Hampton University's Campus Police, where he moved through the ranks to become the Director of Police and Public Safety until 1992, at which time he was elected the first African-American constitutional officer and Sheriff for the City of Hampton.

Because of his experience and expertise in the criminal justice field, Sheriff Roberts has been elected/appointed to serve on numerous corrections/criminal justice related boards. They include: Vice President of the Virginia Sheriffs Association; Board of Directors of the American Jail Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care; Committee member, Accreditation and Detention/Corrections, National Sheriffs Association; Vice Chairman, Hampton Roads Criminal Justice Training Academy; Chairman, Hampton Roads Regional Jail Authority and the Hampton-Newport News Community Criminal Justice Board.

Sheriff Roberts was appointed to the Governors Special Commission on Sentence and Parole Reform. He is also a member of the American Correctional Association and a past president of the Virginia College Campus Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement Association (VACLEA).

Equally important to Sheriff Roberts is his involvement in and commitment to his community. He is a member of the Wythe Exchange Club of America and serves as board member for Alternatives, Incorporated, the Kenneth Wallace Neighborhood Resource Center, and the Salvation Army (Peninsula Command). Sheriff Roberts is also a former board member of the Hampton Roads chapter of Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Further, Sheriff Roberts is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Sheriff Roberts, who is a member of Queen Street Baptist Church in Hampton, has received numerous honors and awards including: the City of Hampton Citizen of the Year, Aberdeen Gardens Historic and Civic Association Citizen of the Year, Public Service Award of the Year from CHUMS, Inc., and has been elected to the Police Hall of Fame.