VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb announced the appointment of a new chief deputy on Wednesday.

Holcomb tapped Capt. Alvie Culanding to fill the seat he left vacate after being sworn in as sheriff on Sept. 29. Culanding is the first person of Filipino descent to serve as chief deputy in Virginia Beach. 

He will be in charge of Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office administration, which includes court security, training, human resources and finance. He will serve alongside Chief Deputy of Operations Tina Mapes. 

“Chief Deputy Alvie Culanding represents the very best of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office,” said Sheriff Holcomb. “He has valiantly served the citizens of Virginia Beach for the last 26 years and will make an absolutely superb chief deputy.” 

Culanding has worked in almost every division during his nearly three decades of service with sheriff’s office.

In 2017, he was promoted to captain, and commanded the correctional support and court security divisions. 

Chief Deputy Culanding was raised in Virginia Beach and graduated from Green Run High School. From there he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Norfolk State University and completed graduate work through Virginia State Police and the University of Virginia’s National Criminal Justice Command College. Before joining the VBSO, he worked as a mental health technician at Norfolk Community Hospital.