Police monument unveiling set for May in Virginia Beach

The resort Oceanfront will be home to a new monument honoring local, state and federal law enforcement officials who have died in the line of duty in Virginia Beach since 1898.

It will join a host of others, including the iconic King Neptune statue at 31st Street and the Oceanfront; the Norwegian Lady statue and the Naval Aviation Memorial at 25th Street; the bronze statue of late Beach strongman John Wareing at 17th Street and the Oceanfront; and a bronze statue of Josh Thompson, who is battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, and brother Chris at Grommet Island Park at 2nd Street.

The newcomer will be a 19-foot-high structure with a granite base, topped by three cast-bronze figures representing city police, the Sheriff’s Department and state and federal agencies. It will occupy prime space along the Boardwalk at 35th Street, replacing a set of colorful concrete beach balls long familiar to passers-by.

Unveiling of the $418,000 piece is scheduled for May  2, as part of National Law Enforcement Memorial Week observances across the nation, said A.M. “Jake” Jacocks, retired police chief and president of the Virginia Beach Police Foundation. This is a nonprofit group heading up fundraising efforts for the memorial. The statue is the work of sculptor Paul DiPasquale, who created the King Neptune statue.

Among those to be honored are Princess Anne County Constable Malachi Beasley, shot and killed Sept. 24, 1889, only hours after being sworn in, while confronting a man on the run with a stolen pistol, and Officer Rodney F. Pocceschi, who died in a June 23, 2003, shootout with a robber during a traffic stop on Dam Neck Road.

Jacocks said the police foundation is accepting donations for the memorial and for aid to families of fallen officers. Checks and money orders can be made to the foundation at P.O. Box 56385, Virginia Beach, VA 23456.