FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Some Fairfax County police officers are sounding the alarm about a staffing shortage they said has reached a critical point.
“It's a tough position to be in, you know, I kind of feel like we're getting run over by a Zamboni because we have been seeing this for years. And we've been trying to say stuff about it," the President of the Fairfax Coalition of Police, Sean Corcoran said. "A lot of people just shrug their shoulders and said, you know, well, we'll cross that bridge, when we get to that. Well, I think we're there. I think we've gotten to that bridge, and we, we need to figure out how we're going to cross it because it's not going to get any better.”
Corcoran said the department is now down 144 officers because of retirements and recruitment issues.
He said because of that, officers are starting to be pulled from specialty positions, like neighborhood patrol units, crime prevention, and community outreach.
Corcoran said officers are also working hours of overtime.
"Without the folks being in these positions, you know, it is going to create gaps in service," he said. "The kind of the motto for a long time, as you know, we do more with less. Well, we are at that position where we're going to be doing less with less.”
At the same time, data from the Fairfax County police chief showed that the homicide total for 2021 has already surpassed 2021.
Corcoran said the problem mainly comes down to a competitive salary and lack of consistent merit increases over the years.
Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee Chari Rodney Lusk said the staffing shortage isn't unique to Fairfax County or even police -- it's something the entire public sector is facing.
He sent a statement that reads in part:
“The Board recognizes the urgency of addressing staffing challenges within FCPD, and has taken steps to increase both recruitment and retention—including the creation of a new retention officer within the department, launching a revamped recruitment website, and voting unanimously to undertake a comprehensive review of hiring practices across our entire public safety infrastructure in order to speed up hiring processes.”
“We haven't invested in it, and then now, you know, it's coming due, and now we have to do something big and bold," Corcoran said.
Supervisor Lusk said Chief Davis is supposed to update the Board on steps being taken to alleviate the staffing shortage at tomorrow's Public Safety Committee meeting.
The meeting starts at 3 p.m. and can be watched live here.
FCPD's new police chief Kevin Davis was hired in the spring of 2021, promising reform and positive change.
In the below video from earlier in the year, he answers questions about his plan and concerns about his past.