The new building was designed to be a "citizen-centered" facility, featuring gender-neutral bathrooms, a fitness room, and LED lighting.

[14][15] The Virginia Beach Police Department has been the subject of multiple controversies over the years since its 1963 inception.

On Independence Day in 1976, the bicentennial of America's founding, riots erupted after bars closed at 1 in the morning.

[17][18] In 1991, a survey conducted by the Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-Star newspapers found a pattern of abuse among VBPD officers.

[20] In 2015, in the case of Wilis v. City of Virginia Beach, officers sued the VBPD on grounds that their employer disciplined them after they reported gender discrimination.

[21] In 2019, a disgruntled man walked into Building 2 of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center and opened fire.

When questioned by The Washington Post, the department said that what happened, "though legal, was not in the spirit of what the community expects.

"[24][25] In 2024, in the case of Banks v. City of Virginia Beach, an officer sued the VBPD, claiming that he had been investigated and demoted for trying to address allegations of discrimination.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court, and the case was presided over by Senior Judge Raymond Alvin Jackson.