Richmond Police Chief Bisa French, who says it has been “critically difficult” filling 20 police officer positions, will ask the city council on Tuesday to implement a recruitment and retention incentive program.
In a letter to council member Soheila Bana, which Bana shared with her constituents, French said the department is “extremely short-staffed,” explaining that despite hiring 42 officers in the past two years, they can’t reach full staffing levels as they try to keep up with the high number of burned-out officers leaving.
The police department is currently budgeted at 146 officers, down from nearly 200 before the city decided in 2021 to instead spend money on more preventative public safety initiatives, for example creating the Community Crisis Response Program.
Richmond City Council meeting
WHAT: Richmond City Council meeting
WHEN: Tue., Dec. 17, 6:30 p.m. (A housing authority meeting will take place at 6:15 p.m.)
WHERE: 440 Civic Center Plaza
MORE INFO: For remote attendance information and how to make public comments, see the full agenda.
“Since that time we have had difficulty recruiting and retaining officers in our department,” Bisa wrote. “I made it clear that if the defunding happened, there would be negative impacts to our response times and our ability to respond to calls for service. My concerns fell on deaf ears, and the officers were left feeling devalued and unsupported. In 2021 alone, 26 officers left the department and in 2022, 27 officers left.”
She said this has left the department only able to focus on violent crime but not “quality of life issues” that impact citizens.
“All of the ancillary units that supported our service response have been cut because we cannot staff them. We no longer have a stand alone traffic unit to address traffic safety issues. We no longer have a foot and bike patrol unit to proactively patrol and engage the business districts. We no longer have a narcotics unit to deal with illegal drug sales. We no longer have a regulatory unit, yet we are again tasked with the enforcement of smoke shops because they’ve been unregulated. We no longer have a violence suppression unit so when shootings and homicides occurred we force officers to work overtime to impact the areas to prevent additional shootings. We no longer have a parole or probation unit to make sure the people entering our community after incarceration are abiding by the terms of their release.
“We no longer have a school resource unit so beat officers are forced to respond to school issues. We no longer have a mental health response team to preventatively work with our community members with mental health challenges and prevent mental health crisis’. Our investigations unit is less than half of what it used to be (from 50ish detectives to less than 15) so many cases do not receive the proper time and attention to solve. The lack of these resources leaves us in a position in which we are forced to be re-active to problems instead of proactively preventing problems.”
She’s asking for $500,000 to be set aside for a bonus plan that would reward current officers who help recruit about 10 candidates who are already police officers with at least three years of experience. There would also be incentives offered to those who they successfully recruit. The idea is that by recruiting experienced officers who the city doesn’t have to send to the police academy, there’s a potential cost savings, so the bonus plan would end up costing the city $81,228.
Mayor Eduardo Martinez to give ‘state of city’ address
Also on the agenda for Tuesday: Mayor Eduardo Martinez will present his “Richmond State of the City 2024” address at 6:30 p.m.
In a statement Martinez said he will “highlight Richmond’s achievements over the past year, discuss ongoing projects, and outline future initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for all Richmond residents. Key topics will include economic development, public safety, the city’s finances, and community engagement.”
“This is an opportunity to reflect on our progress and share our vision for the future,” Eduardo said. “Richmond has made significant strides in various areas. I am excited to share the state of our city with our community and how we can build on our successes and lessons learned for the betterment of Richmond.”
I would like to know what the RPA’s alternative has accomplished and how much it is costing. What do they do exactly? Stop this rollercoaster to hell!
Lowest murder rates in Richmond history. Did you not get the memo?
This is an excellent initiative, and I sincerely hope the Richmond City Council supports it with a unanimous vote.
Additionally, I believe it’s important to recognize and commend the dedication of Chief French, Assistant Chief Simmons, and the entire Richmond Police Department for their tireless efforts in ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone who calls Richmond home.
The police department is currently budgeted at 146 officers, down from nearly 200 before the city decided in 2021 to instead spend money on more preventative public safety initiatives, for example creating the Community Crisis Response Program.
According to RPD they were budgeted for 157 LEO’s, not sure how you think that is “nearly 200”?!?