ARLINGTON COUNTY DEPUTY SHERIFFS GRADUATE FROM ACADEMY

Published on June 17, 2026

ARLINGTON, Va. – Tuesday, June 2, 2026, the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office celebrated the graduation of seven new deputy sheriffs from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy’s Deputy School, Session 154. After completing 10 weeks of intensive training in areas including: jail operations, legal studies, defensive tactics, firearms, court security and civil process, the graduates are now preparing to begin their duty assignments at the detention facility.

Deputy Joseph Prado distinguished himself as Class President and earned both the Thomas L. Shaw Award for character and the Director’s Award for Academic Excellence. Deputies Alana Conner and Josue Lopez also earned recognition for Excellence in Firearms. Congratulations to Deputies Ami Bahati, Alana Conner, LaDonna Durant, Josue Lopez, Jada Martin, Anelva Orellana Montano, and Joseph Prado as they begin their careers in Arlington County keeping the community safe.

About Mr. Thomas L. Shaw

This award is named in honor of Mr. Thomas L. Shaw and recognizes his 42 years of service to the Northern Virginia region in the Criminal Justice arena. In 1982, Tom Shaw retired after serving 20 years with the Fairfax County Police Department. During his police career, he served in a variety of different assignments and rose through the ranks to Major with the Fairfax County Police Department. Upon his retirement from the police department, he was named the Executive Director of the NVCJTA. For the next 18 years, he served as the Academy’s Executive Director, until his second retirement in the year 2000. He is widely remembered and respected for his tireless commitment to, and implementation of, rigorous training standards and high-quality education for law enforcement officers throughout Virginia. His entire law enforcement career was representative of three characteristics – Professionalism, Dedication, and Leadership.

About Arlington County Sheriff’s Office

The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) is a Nationally Accredited Law Enforcement Agency located in Northern Virginia. The ACSO has approximately 280 employees, both deputy sheriffs and civilian staff, who serve a population of 240,900 county residents. Arlington Deputy Sheriffs perform duties in corrections, inmate transportation, civil process service, and courtroom/courthouse security. For more information, please visit 

https://sheriff.arlingtonva.us/ or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy (NVCJA)

After being hired by the agency, the new deputies began their training at the NVCJA, a regional academy offering high quality, professional training to recruit deputies and officers who will go on to serve agencies in Northern Virginia. New deputies and officers enrolled in the basic training program complete over 800 hours of training curriculum, which orients them to the diverse day-to-day challenges experienced by law enforcement personnel while on the job. In addition to basic training, NVCJA offers in-service training programs to deputies and officers throughout their careers.