Southern States PBA
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VAPBA Legislative Update

Virginia PBA members,
 
We have had a discussion on Senate Bill 838 with Rich Goszka, President of the Natural Resources Police Chapter. Plans are underway to talk with representatives immediately to let them know of opposition to this bill, which creates another review board. As an organization we oppose this and the other citizen review board bill submitted by Delegate Watts, HB1514.
 
SB 838 has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources. Please contact the members of this committee below to voice your opposition to this bill. 
 
 
 

SB 838 Virginia Conservation Police Review Board; created. 

 
Introduced by: Lionell Spruill, Sr. | all patrons-notes | add to my profiles
 
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
 
Virginia Conservation Police Review Board.
Creates a six-member review board composed of a State Police officer and a criminal defense lawyer, both appointed by the Governor; a recreational angler and a hunter, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Senate Rules Committee, respectively; the chairman of the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries; and the Attorney General or his designee, who shall be a nonvoting member. The review board is tasked with reviewing (i) citizen complaints of misconduct by conservation police officers, (ii) the performance of conservation police officers in carrying out the policy of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (the Department), and (iii) the level of coordination and the relationships between conservation police officers and other law-enforcement agencies. The bill authorizes the review board to have access to all Department law-enforcement records, facilities, and landholdings and requires the review board to report its findings to the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries. The bill also authorizes the review board to refer serious cases of officer misconduct to the Secretary of Natural Resources with a recommendation for disciplinary action or termination of employment. 

 

Children of LEO veteran killed in crash awarded PBF memorial scholarships

Apr 15, 2026

South Fulton County police Capt. Helio A. Garcia III was born with the calling to law enforcement, a 15-year career he devoted his life to after serving his country as a U.S. Marine.

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TN Division Scholarship Recipient Aubrey Garton

Apr 8, 2026

Aubrey Garton finished high school with a perfect GPA, was valedictorian of her class, served as president or vice president of at least four clubs, and already has multiple semesters of college credit under her belt. These achievements alone are quite impressive, but you would likely expect such accolades for a PBF scholarship winner. There is, however, so much more to Aubrey than excellent grades and extracurricular clubs.

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GA Scholarship Recipient Keeps Family First

Apr 1, 2026

Underneath the Spanish-moss-covered oak trees of Savannah, Georgia, Hudson Zaragoza was raised in a very close-knit family. In fact, Hudson and his sister, Adeline, couldn?t possibly be much closer without being twins ? they were born just 11 months apart. Hudson?s dad, PBA member Michael Zaragoza, reflected on having two children so close together, noting that Hudson and Adeline were always very competitive. ?When Hudson played baseball, Adeline had to play. When Adeline started basketball, that meant that Hudson had to play basketball.? The two didn?t have much of a choice but to be close, though ? they were even in the same grade in school ? and Michael said that, despite the constant competition between his Irish twins, he wouldn?t have had it any other way.

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