The men and women of the Virginia State Police and their families gathered Wednesday at the Virginia State Police Academy in North Chesterfield to honor all public safety professionals who have made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to Virginia.

The department unveiled and dedicated the official portrait of Capt. J. Gregory Blankenship, the former division commander of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Salem Field Office.

Blankenship died in Aug. 7, 2021 from complications related to COVID-19. He was 61 and had served the VSP for 28 years. Following the ceremony, Capt. Blankenship’s portrait was hung in the Colonel C.W. Woodson Jr. Memorial Gallery at the academy.

The gallery already holds the portraits of the state police’s other 66 men and women who died in the line-of-duty while serving the citizens of the commonwealth. Blankenship is also among the thousands honored at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Wednesday’s service rec...