RICHMOND, Va. — Police staffing in departments in and around Richmond varies from locality to locality.
In the City of Richmond however, some officers describe the situation as a recruiting and retention emergency.
"Right now it's an officer safety issue every day in the city,” Brendan Leavy, the President of the Richmond Coalition of Police (RCOP), said.
RCOP represents nearly 350 Richmond Police Officers.
Leavy called working conditions at the Richmond Police Department deplorable and said morale was low.
He said he felt he and other members of RCOP were being ignored by their bosses.
Richmond Police has 140 vacancies, meaning almost 20 percent of the department is unstaffed.
Leavy said understaffing is taking its toll on officers, causing mandatory overtime, and leading to burnout.
He said it has also impacted safety.
"An officer left last year because he didn't feel safe working the area he worked because there weren't enough officers on the street," Leavy said. "When we feel concerned with our own safety, I can only imagine how the community feels."
RCOP said newly passed staffing raises may help, but they hoped leadership within the department would start listening and Richmond City Council would approve collective bargaining in the coming weeks for all employees.
When asked about RCOP's concerns, Richmond Police issued a statement but did not answer specific questions about how the department is addressing staffing, morale, nor the chief's communication with RCOP. Instead, the statement focused on why people should join the police department.
The statement said the Richmond Police Department was a place where new officers could make their mark. It called the department a family and that your "brothers and sisters will see you through anything."
Police staffing is less of an issue in the counties of Henrico and Chesterfield.
Henrico Police listed 13 job openings, ten of which were newly-added positions.
Chesterfield Police listed 12 vacancies.
"Ensuring that staffing in place allows us to do the intricate investigation that needs to be done to combat crime. We are totally engaged with our staff and community,” Chesterfield Police Major Frank Carpenter said.
Carpenter said not having the proper staffing and personnel in place can be taxing on both the department and the community.
In Henrico, the Fraternal Order of Police believed its engagement encouraged future recruitment and felt they've done a great job over the last 30 years.
“We've got a community policing unit, and we run a citizens police and seniors academy and youth academy,” Ray Clemmons the President of the Henrico Fraternal Order of Police, said.
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