• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • Improve your pistol-handling skills
      What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
      Do cops need more training?
      Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
      Seeking the right kind of help
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Connecticut State Police troopers praised for daring bridge rescue
        Security guard and former police chief killed in New Hampshire...
        San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
        Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
        Heroic K-9 unit honored at National Dog Show for role in capturing...
    • Labor
      • Chicago police unit handling use-of-force reviews faces staffing...
        LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
        “You can’t play politics with public safety”
        “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
        California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary...
    • Tech
      • NYPD explores cutting-edge drone detection vehicle to enhance city...
        The use of military assets by U.S. police
        What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
        Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
        North Carolina schools, businesses to beef up active shooter security...
    • Training
      • Ballistic shields in patrol operations
        Four things you need to know to control escalation
        Series of fires in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mobile shooting...
        Using learning factors to influence your performance
        Lancaster Police Department introduces agility course in recruitment...
    • Policy
      • Colorado law enforcement abandons controversial “excited...
        High-speed chase in Houston claims bystander’s life
        L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term...
        “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”
        “No child should be unsafe in their own city”
    • Health/Wellness
      • Harnessing our strength: Post-traumatic growth
        Scientifically proven ways for cops to thrive
        The depression–anger cycle
        What does it mean to be a sheepdog?
        Depression screening
    • Community
      • “They see me as a person”: Albuquerque school resource officer...
        Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences...
        New Jersey departments unite for No Shave November
        The nobility of serving
        “The smile is a universal language”
    • Offbeat
      • Colorful underwear exposes New York robbery suspect more than a year...
        Meet Sergeant Hank, the Canadian goose boosting morale at an L.A...
        12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
        Bizarre police chase ends with suspect trapped in porta potty
        Jewelry store heist ends in high-speed chase and mystifying response...
    • We Remember
      • Charlotte bridge dedicated to first female casualty in...
        Birmingham community mourns passing of its first Black police...
        “For those who suffered in silence and were lost”
        “You’re my hero”
        Manhattan Beach police officer and Las Vegas shooting survivor...
  • On the Job
    • Connecticut State Police troopers praised for daring bridge rescue
      Security guard and former police chief killed in New Hampshire...
      San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
      Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
      Heroic K-9 unit honored at National Dog Show for role in capturing...
  • Labor
    • Chicago police unit handling use-of-force reviews faces staffing...
      LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
      “You can’t play politics with public safety”
      “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
      California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary...
  • Tech
    • NYPD explores cutting-edge drone detection vehicle to enhance city...
      The use of military assets by U.S. police
      What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
      Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
      North Carolina schools, businesses to beef up active shooter security...
  • Training
    • Ballistic shields in patrol operations
      Four things you need to know to control escalation
      Series of fires in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mobile shooting...
      Using learning factors to influence your performance
      Lancaster Police Department introduces agility course in recruitment...
  • Policy
    • Colorado law enforcement abandons controversial “excited...
      High-speed chase in Houston claims bystander’s life
      L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term...
      “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”
      “No child should be unsafe in their own city”
  • Health/Wellness
    • Harnessing our strength: Post-traumatic growth
      Scientifically proven ways for cops to thrive
      The depression–anger cycle
      What does it mean to be a sheepdog?
      Depression screening
  • Community
    • “They see me as a person”: Albuquerque school resource officer...
      Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences...
      New Jersey departments unite for No Shave November
      The nobility of serving
      “The smile is a universal language”
  • Offbeat
    • Colorful underwear exposes New York robbery suspect more than a year...
      Meet Sergeant Hank, the Canadian goose boosting morale at an L.A...
      12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
      Bizarre police chase ends with suspect trapped in porta potty
      Jewelry store heist ends in high-speed chase and mystifying response...
  • We Remember
    • Charlotte bridge dedicated to first female casualty in...
      Birmingham community mourns passing of its first Black police...
      “For those who suffered in silence and were lost”
      “You’re my hero”
      Manhattan Beach police officer and Las Vegas shooting survivor...
  • Between the Lines
    • Debunking the perpetual narrative of racial bias in policing
      The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Labor

Virginia police department launches new initiatives to attract recruits amid staffing crisis

APB Team Published November 3, 2022 @ 6:00 am PDT

iStock.com/AzmanJaka

The Norfolk, Virginia, Police Department is hoping various recruitment and retention initiatives, to include a wellness program and financial benefits, will help fill the more than 200 vacancies left by personnel who either resigned or retired from the force this past year.

“If conditions hold as they are today, we’ve got five years before we see some incremental improvement, and we need to be prepared for that,” Norfolk Police Chief Michael Goldsmith told Fox News in early October.

The department’s staffing woes, similar to many other agencies across the country, began in 2020 when its vacancies increased from 47 to 117. The trend continued into 2021, with vacancies climbing to 162.

Goldsmith attributed the crisis to a “perfect storm” of resignations due to the “negative narrative” toward policing after the 2020 protests, combined with a wave of a “baby-boomer retirements.” Goldsmith added that the force is set to lose another 77 officers by the end of the year.

Goldsmith himself announced his retirement in October of this year. The department is actively searching for his replacement.

“The Norfolk Police Department is in crisis,” retired Norfolk officer Frank Algood told the Virginian-Pilot. “The next chief is going to have to go in there, find those who can do the job, and get them promoted. I hope we can get individuals put into leadership to give us a great police department.”

Low staffing levels come at a time when the city is experiencing record high rates of crime. A recent WalletHub study ranked Norfolk as the eighth-worst city in the nation in terms of increase in its homicide rate, per Fox News.

Despite low numbers, Goldsmith and Sergeant William Pickering, a spokesperson for the department, said the department received a small reprieve in the form of a new academy class.

“I am happy to report that we will have a new academy starting on November 7th as well as our current academy graduating on December 15th. This will have a positive impact on the number of vacancies we are currently experiencing. Nevertheless, we are working hard to recruit individuals who are interested in the law enforcement profession as well as those officers who are moving to the area from other agencies,” Pickering wrote in an email to Fox News.

Pickering added that the department offers a starting salary of $52,105 for certified officers, as well as a $5,000 signing bonus for new officers and a $12,000 retention bonus.

The city is also unveiling a wellness program for police officers, which includes counseling services, physical therapy and relaxation services.

“Recently, Norfolk City Council approved a robust wellness and resilience program that will provide our officers with counseling opportunities, chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, float therapy sessions and infrared sauna sessions, just to name a few. We are hopeful that all these important incentives will assist in our recruitment efforts,” Pickering said.

Categories: Labor Tags: resignation, Norfolk Police Department, Michael Goldsmith, wellness program, financial incentive, staffing shortage, homicides, recruiting initiative, retirements, bonus

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Connecticut State Police troopers praised for daring bridge rescue
  • Colorful underwear exposes New York robbery suspect more than a year later
  • Colorado law enforcement abandons controversial “excited delirium” term
  • “They see me as a person”: Albuquerque school resource officer and cheer coach bridges gap, inspires students
  • High-speed chase in Houston claims bystander’s life
  • Meet Sergeant Hank, the Canadian goose boosting morale at an L.A. Sheriff’s station
  • Chicago police unit handling use-of-force reviews faces staffing crisis and backlog
  • L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term rentals
  • 12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
  • “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

Improve your pistol-handling skills

Improve your pistol-handling skills

October 21, 2023

What you need to know about automatic license plate readers

What you need to know about automatic license plate readers

October 20, 2023

Do cops need <em>more</em> training?

Do cops need more training?

October 17, 2023

Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner

Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner

October 16, 2023

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.