Portsmouth swears in new police recruits from BL Class 26A

Portsmouth City formally administered the oath of office to recruits from BL Class 26A at a morning ceremony where officials praised the new officers and family members participated in badge pinning. City Clerk Deborah White administered the oath, which included pledges to support the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Mayor Shannon Glover opened the ceremony and framed the day as a pledge to public service and community trust, saying, “By taking this oath today, you are pledging to yourselves to uphold the highest standards of law enforcement.” Glover thanked families and urged recruits to serve “with fairness, compassion, and respect.”

City Manager Steven Carter told the recruits their achievement reflected perseverance through demanding training. He described the academy’s attrition and the long hours required to graduate, saying the badge is "not simply handed to you. You earned it through long days, difficult instruction, physical and mental testing." Carter urged officers to lead by example and to remember the community they serve.

Police Chief Steven Jenkins congratulated the graduates, described the rigors of daily patrol and academy preparation, and emphasized the importance of showing up and caring for the community. He then invited City Clerk Deborah White to administer the official oath of office, which the recruits repeated aloud.

Following the oath, Chief Jenkins and Assistant Chief Nashla Nelson assisted with badge pinning. The ceremony named the honorees and those who pinned them: Thomas Bet Jr. (pinned by his fiancée Alicia Burrell); Adam F. (pinned by Jessica Arnold; surname in the transcript unclear); Lorenzo Granderson (pinned by his father, Lorenzo Granderson Sr.); Marishia Herby (pinned by Jessica Goodman); and Justin Urkhart (pinned by his father, retired Lieutenant Mike Urkhart).

All law-enforcement attendees then stood to recite a written law-enforcement oath of honor printed in the program, pledging to protect the public trust and hold themselves and others accountable. Attendees were invited to a related graduation for BL Class 26 Alpha at 4 p.m. at the Hampton Roads Criminal Justice Training Academy ceremony to be held at Coastal Community Church, 101 Village Avenue in Yorktown.

Chaplain Martha Provo closed the ceremony with a benediction asking protection and wisdom for the recruits and peace for their families. Light refreshments in the atrium followed and the event concluded with a formal dismissal.