New VA Police Recruitment Site Designed To Diversify Its Ranks

RICHMOND, VA — With a goal of reaching a more diverse pool of applicants, the Virginia State Police has developed a new recruitment website that provides a behind-the-scenes narrative of life as a trooper, the steps to becoming a Virginia trooper, recruitment unit contacts and direct access to an employment application.

The new website, created in partnership with CapTech Consulting, is aimed at attracting a new generation of diverse applicants to join the state police family, Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent, said in a statement.

The recruitment site is mobile-friendly, highlighting the many career opportunities the Virginia State Police offers.

"This new recruitment website is specifically designed to reinforce our employees' dedication to duty with each and every contact we have with the public," Settle said. "The Virginia State Police is fully committed to embrace inclusivity and diversity in all its forms, especially among its workforce."

The new recruitment website is an important step in Virginia State Police's commitment to diversify its workforce, according to Dr. Janice Underwood, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"While we have much more to do, this step signals the state police's continuing efforts to achieve a fundamental shift in its sworn workforce and the overall culture of the agency, so that it can more effectively serve and protect a diverse Commonwealth," Underwood said in a Jan. 7 statement.

The starting salary for a new trooper entering the Virginia State Police Academy is $44,290. Along with earning a salary while training at the academy, trooper-trainees receive benefits, including life insurance, health insurance, sick leave and paid vacation.

Twelve months following graduation from the State Police Academy, a new trooper's annual salary increases to $48,719. Troopers assigned to the Northern Virginia region start at $55,340 upon graduation and then 12 months after graduation, their annual salary increases to $60,874.