VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It's tough to catch Virginia Beach Police Officer Tyshon McNeil standing in one place for too long. He's always on the go.
"I don't know when the guy sleeps," quips his supervisor, Virginia Beach Police Sergeant Adam Bernstein.
McNeil is a member of the city's traffic safety unit, netting the most DUI arrests in the third precinct in 2022. He's also part of the Kids Law Academy, which targets young people interested in law enforcement as a career. All of that is on top of his main job as a school resource officer at Bayside High School. That, Bernstein says, is where Officer McNeil really shines.
"A lot of it is his personality," Bernstein adds. "I mean, you can tell he's genuine and I think the kids see that. He just finds ways to make that connection."
"The thing i like most is I get to help the students, the kids, especially the high school level, help them know what they're about to get into into adulthood," Officer McNeil explains.
McNeil serves as a role model to help students prepare for the real world that lies ahead, teaching teens their actions have real life consequences.
"This whole stuff when you were 10, 11 years old, where you know, you got in trouble mom and dad helped you out, that's gonna go away," he explains. "I try to let them know what they're getting into."
While Officer McNeil's main job targets older students, he also spends time with students at Bayside and Luxford Elementary schools.
"I just play games with them, usually rock, paper, scissors, or they just ask 1,000 questions," he explains.
For his dedication to community serivice, Officer McNeil was recognized in June by the Hampton Roads Chamber. We also surprised him with a News 3 Everyday Hero award, which includes a $300 Visa gift card from our community partners at Southern Bank.
