JAMES CITY COUNTY— Gennie Bellas, a detective with the James City County Police Department, retired in late April. A special retirement ceremony was held today at department headquarters to commemorate her 26 years of service.
Bellas grew up in the small town of Ford City, Pa. She began her law enforcement career twenty-six years ago after graduating as the first citizen recruit for the James City County Police Department in the auxiliary version of the Basic Law Enforcement Academy at the Hampton Roads Regional Academy of Criminal Justice.
Bellas became a crisis hostage negotiator in 2002 and a field training officer in 2004. While training recruits, she completed additional courses to prepare for investigative work and was selected as a detective in 2006.
Her detective training included advanced forensic interviewing of children, making her the department’s first specialized detective and helping launch James City County’s Special Victims Unit. Additional duties included serving as officer in charge of the department’s FBI Innocent Images National Initiative and Internet Crimes Against Children task force teams.
“Many of us know that as law enforcement officers we are trained to take command of hectic situations,” Bellas said. “However, when you are trying to investigate an incident involving a juvenile, we have to work collaboratively with other specialties so that they can help the child too.”
Maureen Kufro, Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney for the Williamsburg-James City County jurisdiction, has worked with Bellas on numerous cases regarding crimes against children.
“I worked with Gennie for about 18 years. She always ensured that the child’s needs and our emphasis would be to meet those needs. Our number one priority was the child’s wellbeing and oftentimes, that meant making sure that the perpetrator was prosecuted in order to keep that child safe,” Kufro said.
Kufro also noted that Bellas’ work didn’t stop after an arrest.
“She would continue to work the case. She would show up at every court hearing to be there for me and to be there for the child,” Kufro added.
In her victim advocacy work, Bellas often said being a detective meant working with outside resources to solve complex problems.
“Some of these resources are children’s advocacy centers, prosecutors, child protective services specialists, school personnel and state licensing experts, to name a few. They each have a role to offer to ensure that together we are doing what can be done to help every child that may have a need,” she said. “Together we all play a part in creating a successful outcome for these children.”
During her career, Detective Bellas received numerous awards for her dedication to service. Notable honors include the 2008 Officer of the Year award from the James City County Police Department, the 2011 Law Enforcement Advocate of the Year award from the Williamsburg/James City County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Investigating Service awards from the department in 2017 and 2020, the department’s Meritorious Service Award in 2024 and Distinguished Service Award in 2025 and the 2025 Unsung Heroes Award.
“As a Special Victim’s Detective, I’ve been given the honor of standing up and speaking up to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” she said. “It’s been a truly humbling experience and I’ll forever be grateful to the James City County Police Department for affording me this amazing opportunity to leave behind a legacy of helping children.”