Ken Stolle

Ken Stolle

Republican Party

Prior offices

Virginia State Senate District 8

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Virginia Beach Sheriff

Successor: Rocky Holcomb

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Education

Bachelor's

Berry College

Personal

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Attorney

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Ken Stolle (Republican Party) was the Virginia Beach Sheriff. He assumed office in 2010. He left office on September 27, 2023.

Stolle (Republican Party) ran for re-election for Virginia Beach Sheriff. He won in the general election on November 2, 2021.

Stolle retired from his position as sheriff after serving Virginia Beach for 13 years. He cited health issues and the desire to spend more time with family as reasons for leaving public office.

Stolle was a Republican member of the Virginia State Senate. He was a state senator from 1992 to 2009, representing the 8th District. He resigned from his seat in 2009 to run for sheriff of Virginia Beach.

Biography

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Stolle was born in Washington, D.C. on July 7, 1954. He received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Berry College. Stolle also participated in the Virginia Reading Law Program. He was a partner in the firm of Kaufman and Canoles prior to winning election to the Virginia State Senate.

Elections

2021

See also: City elections in Virginia Beach, Virginia (2021)

General election

General election for Virginia Beach Sheriff

Incumbent Ken Stolle defeated Antonio Passaro Jr. in the general election for Virginia Beach Sheriff on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ken Stolle (R)	63.0	96,730
		Antonio Passaro Jr. (D)	36.7	56,410
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	510

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 153,650
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Antonio Passaro Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia Beach Sheriff.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ken Stolle advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia Beach Sheriff.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Virginia Beach, Virginia (2017)

Incumbent Ken Stolle (R) defeated John L. Bell (D) in the Virginia Beach Sheriff General Election.

Virginia Beach Sheriff, General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ken Stolle Incumbent	60.03%	71,736
	Democratic	John L. Bell	39.53%	47,247
		Write-in votes	0.44%	527
Total Votes				119,510
Source: Virginia Beach, Virginia, "Voter Registration & Elections," accessed November 7, 2017

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ken Stolle did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

Stolle's campaign website included the following themes for 2017:

“	Proven and Effective Leadership Sheriff Ken Stolle’s 36+ years of public service began with the Virginia Beach Police Department, where he served from 1976-1987 as a patrol officer, narcotics detective and SWAT Team sergeant and earned the Silver Star for Bravery, Medal of Merit and the Silver Cross for Bravery. He served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, read law and passed the Virginia Bar Exam in 1983. He began practicing law in 1987 and was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1991. He served 18 years in the Senate, shaping public policy for Virginia and leading criminal justice reforms that included abolishing parole and improving the Line of Duty Act to better care for the survivors of fallen law enforcement officers. He rose to the position of Majority Whip and Republican Leader Pro Tempore and chaired the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, the Crime Commission and the Senate Finance Public Safety Committee. Ken decided to return to his law enforcement roots by running for Virginia Beach sheriff in 2009, winning the election over opponent John Bell with 70 percent of the vote. Since taking office in 2010 - including winning re-election in 2013 - Sheriff Stolle has shepherded in an unprecedented period of excellence, innovation and growth for the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. Putting Public Safety First Under Sheriff Stolle’s leadership, the Virginia Beach jail - the largest in Virginia - has received the highest scores possible from the Virginia Department of Corrections, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Justice (PREA). It has become recognized as one of the toughest, best-run jails in the commonwealth. The jail is safer than ever, with drastic reductions in suicides and assaults by inmates on deputies and each other. In addition, Sheriff Stolle created a Criminal Intelligence Unit, which has successfully worked with local, state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate crimes both inside and outside the jail. He also started a K9 Unit, which has improved safety in the jail and other public buildings, including the Virginia Beach Courthouse, and helped take hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of narcotics off the streets. Sheriff Stolle also recognizes that empowering inmates to change is essential to reducing recidivism and keeping the community safe once inmates are released from jail. To that end, he has created a Reentry Program that prepares inmates for returning to society and has a 90 percent success rate. He also built upon programs to address mental health, substance abuse and education. Saving the Taxpayers Money Sheriff Stolle has increased revenue at the Sheriff’s Office by $5 million a year to offset the cost to taxpayers of operating the jail. That revenue comes from commissary sales and putting inmates to work through the Inmate Workforce, which mows along public streets, provides maintenances and landscaping services to the City and helps with disaster relief. These taxpayer savings have been accomplished while expanding medical and mental health care, increasing deputy training and pay and implementing new inmate programs. Despite coming into office during the recession, he has led by balancing the office’s $48 million budget without layoffs. Serving the Community, Reflecting the Community Sheriff Stolle and the deputies and civilians of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office have hearts for public service and volunteer hundreds of hours every year. They responded to help neighborhoods recover from Hurricane Matthew and the April 2017 tornado. They remain active in schools, serving as mentors and in programs such as Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs. And they are instrumental in supporting Special Olympics Virginia, the Pungo Strawberry Festival, the United Way, the American Red Cross, the food bank, senior programs, Law Enforcement United and many others. Sheriff Stolle also recognizes the importance of law enforcement reflecting the community it serves. To that end, he has worked to actively recruit, retain and promote a diverse and talented workforce, including promoting the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office’s first female chief deputy and first Filipino captain and supporting Virginia’s veterans by becoming Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certified. Received the Meyera E. Oberndorf Human Rights Award “for outstanding service in creating a more inclusive community” from the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission on April 29, 2015.	”
—Ken Stolle (2017)

State legislative tenure

Committee assignments

• Commerce and Labor
• Courts of Justice
• Finance
• Privileges and Elections
• Senate Rules

District 8

Stolle represented Virginia Senate District 8. Senate District 8 includes Virginia Beach(part).

Campaign finance summary

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See also

2021 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Virginia Beach Sheriff 2010-2023	Succeeded by Rocky Holcomb (R)
Preceded by -	Virginia State Senate District 8 1992-2009	Succeeded by -