Shianne Chong joined the Sheriff’s Office in October 2022 and was recently promoted to Private First Class. PFC Chong had transferred from the Fairfax County Police Department and, therefore, had already graduated from the Criminal Justice Academy. She needed only to complete the four weeks of deputy school to be sworn in as a Sheriff’s deputy.
As with all new deputies, she spent her first 10 weeks working in the Adult Detention Center, learning how to manage the inmate population and ensure their day-to-needs are met. Upon completion of that field training, she was assigned to the Circuit Court. What she likes about the Sheriff’s Office is working in a group, whether in the jail or the courts. “It feels like a family,” she says.
Chong was born in Nashville but raised by her father’s parents in Sri Lanka. Her father is from there, and her mother was born in the United States. Her grandparents learned English from when Sri Lanka was a British colony, and they made sure Chong learned English also. She went to college in Sri Lanka, studied English education, and then became a teacher for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The program prepares and tests people for whom English is not their first language, but who want to migrate, work or study in an English-speaking country.
Chong moved back to the United States about nine years ago with a goal of working in law enforcement or joining the military. She enjoys meeting and helping people.