The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach didn’t need to spend thousands of dollars searching for a passionate, straight-shooting community leader to run its police force. It already had one in interim chief Jim Cervera.
Cervera, 55, who has worked his way through the ranks of the city’s Police Department for three decades, was named chief Tuesday, a surprise announcement by City Manager Jim Spore that was greeted with delight by those who have worked with the veteran cop.
Spore decided to forgo an expensive and time-consuming national search to replace Chief Jake Jacocks, who retired July 1. “When I thought about what Jim Cervera brings to the job, he just exceeded every expectation,” he said.
Cervera, a deputy chief under Jacocks for the past 10 years, takes over officially Sept. 1 but is already building on work he’s done to improve the department’s relationships with business owners and neighborhood civic leagues, African American and Latino communities, school kids and senior citizens.
Originally from New Jersey, Cervera has been here for 32 years. He knows Virginia Beach’s 250 square miles better than most natives.
He has led the SWAT team, served on the Labor Day Task Force after the 1989 riots at the Oceanfront, commanded the Second Precinct, supervised the investigations division and overseen the department’s operations. A student of history and strategy, he has led small groups of Beach police lieutenants and captains to Gettysburg to discuss the decisions that faced Union and Confederate leaders during the Civil War battle there.
Those who have worked with Cervera say he is serious-minded, disciplined and intent on curtailing trouble before it becomes a trend. Like every public official nowadays, he inherits a dwindling budget, with the likelihood for serious cuts next year. He vows to attack problems with openness and accountability, traits that will serve him well overseeing nearly 1,000 employees and an $86.6 million budget.
He also brings to the job more than a passion for making Virginia Beach a safer place. He truly cares about helping people, whether here or abroad. A decade ago, Cervera began volunteering with Operation Smile in memory of his older brother, a soldier who died in Vietnam. He spent weeks in Hanoi helping doctors and nurses care for Vietnamese children.
That kind of compassion and dedication makes Cervera a natural and inspiring choice for chief.
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