With Vacancies In Spotlight, Here's How Fairfax Police Recruits Are Training

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Before police recruits can be sent out on patrol in Fairfax County, they must complete a six-month training academy to prepare them for law enforcement duties. As the Fairfax County Police Department experiences staffing shortages, recruits will help fill some of these vacancies.

A police department spokesperson told Patch in an email the vacancy rate currently stands at 191 positions. Due to the shortages, the police department previously announced changes to reduce daily shifts from three to two, which means officers will work longer shifts with mandatory overtime.

Police Chief Kevin Davis told Patch's Michael O'Connell that staffing concerns aren't limited to the Fairax County Police Department.

"Police applications in 18,000 police departments across America are down 63 percent," Chief Kevin Davis told Patch on Tuesday. "We're down about 10 percent. Our authorized strength is just under 1,500."

Davis also pointed to a "great resignation" that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues today. The police department is working to recruit through a hiring incentive, mentoring with police applicants, early signing days, and an Option 5 lateral class with the state to hire police officers from outside Virginia. Pay increases and hiring incentives were included in the Board of Supervisors' last budget approval and carryover funds will help with filling county government positions.

The next class of 24 recruits will help fill positions after their academy graduation on Jan. 12.

Established in 1985, the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy serves recruits of the Fairfax County Police Department, as well as the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, the Herndon and Vienna Police Departments and the Fairfax County Fire Marshal’s Office. According to a police spokesperson, the academy provides the county with "highly trained, competent, capable, and professional law enforcement officers."

Fairfax County Police provided a tour for media this week to learn about areas of training for police recruits going through situations from faux bar fights to traffic stops.

One area used by recruits and their instructors features mock businesses where recruits can practice different scenarios. For example, a mock bar can provide training to handle an actual bar brawl, and a fake convenience store can host numerous staged crimes like robberies, burglaries, domestic disputes and larcenies the future officers can respond to.

"Depending on those circumstances, there could be a use-of-force component, but also a simple communication or verbal de-escalation or any kind of scenario where if I'm engaged and talking with somebody here, I have something here that could act as a barrier between us and to be aware of our surroundings," said academy instructor Joe Schlenz. "It also allows the instructors to evaluate if need be. Typically we're in here with the recruits, but if someone wanted to observe the scenario they could see it there (through an observation window.)"

After completing the Criminal Justice Academy, recruits are assigned a field training instructor for their final step of training. Recruits spend 42 days on the job to train with an experienced officer.

While patrol officer is the entry-level position for recruits, they can complete courses after their field training to pursue specific career paths. On the police department's recruiting website to help fill vacant positions, the ability to train for and join specialty units is highlighted as an incentive for applicants. Some of the career paths in the police department are school resource officer, community outreach officer, detective and SWAT team.