Gabriel “Gabe” Morgan Sr. is serving his fifth four-year term as the Sheriff of Newport News. His first term of office began on January 1, 2006.

Sheriff Morgan is responsible for a budget which exceeds $15 million and a staff of more than 200 that provides a myriad of functions including the custody and care of more than 500 prisoners daily, the protection of our courts and judges, the service of court documents, and the enforcement of the laws of the Commonwealth.   Sheriff Morgan also serves as the Executive Officer of the Courts.

Upon taking office, Sheriff Morgan immediately instituted significant policy changes that support his guiding principles of justice for all, service to others and abiding love for his community.

Sheriff Morgan serves on a number of boards and commissions throughout  Hampton Roads.  Most recently, in April 2021, he was named Chairman of the Riverside Health Systems board.

In 2007, The Honorable Leroy R. Hassell, Sr., chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, appointed Sheriff Morgan to serve on the Commission for Mental Law Reform.  As the subcommittee chair for Emergency and Temporary Detention Orders, the sheriff’s leadership led to major changes in the law.

Recognizing Sheriff Morgan’s commitment to service, then-Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed Sheriff Morgan to the Inter-agency Civil Admission Advisory Council.  Morgan was subsequently appointed by Governors McDonnell and McAuliffe to serve on the Commission on Mental Health Law Reform.

Sheriff Morgan co-chaired Governor-Elect Ralph Northam’s Policy Council on Mental Health.  He chaired the Newport News Gang Reduction Task Force and he is charged with developing a comprehensive strategy to reduce youth violence in the city.

He currently serves on Christopher Newport University’s Board of Visitors.