CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – In an effort to bolster recruitment effort for its police department, Albemarle County has increased pay for officers by 11%, bringing up the starting salary to $60,817 starting July 1. It also increased the number of positions that are allocated to the division.

The pay increase for the division has been included in the FY27 budget that was approved by the Board of Supervisors on April 22nd, and it accompanies an existing $5,000 dollar signing bonus that the department hopes will attract the best and brightest to Albemarle. 

The division recruits officers both from other jurisdictions as well as those who have never worn the uniform.

“We do a little bit of both,” ACPD Master Police Officer and lead recruiter Kevin Deane said. “It definitely benefits having a certified officer, and easier transition and we get them on the street quicker, they go through a shorter FTO process (field training officer), takes about 4-6 weeks depending on where they’re coming from.

“When they’re fresh off the street and never had law enforcement experience it takes about ten months total for the entire training program, so it definitely benefits us if we can get a certified officer but we’re looking for anybody right now who’s willing to serve.”

Deane also believes that aside from the compensation level at ACPD, the duration of training and field preparedness the department take its officers through sets it apart from other divisions.

“We’re a little different than some agencies, we do a little more training, we pride ourselves in the training we provide,” he said. “You know [potential new officers] talk to another agency and they say ‘They’re gonna get me on the road quicker,’ but we’re not gonna get them on the road quicker. We’re gonna make sure they’re ready and prepared to deal with situations that they’re going to be handling as police officers.”

Deane says that philosophy is merely a reflection of the overall core values of the department, connected to what’s called “community policing” or “geo-policing,” which emphasizes tactics in deescalation.

“We look for people that have that community-oriented mindset,” Deane said. “That helps us and has a big part in who we look to hire for the agency.”

That philosophy can be tested when law enforcement encounter dangerous situations during a call for service. But officer Deane encourages the rank and file to maintain their resolve.

“I preach to the officers a lot that you’re going to be dealing with these people in what they consider are the worst times in their life,” he said. “You may not see that but you’ve gotta have a little empathy, and we train ourselves in communication and deescalation tactics and all those things help in those types of situations but like I said the biggest thing is empathy.”

Albemarle County is in need of more officers given the sheer size of the county, which is over 700 square miles. With this in mind, the department’s goal is for response times for calls for service to be under ten minutes.  Officer Deane says that even if a person is not currently serving in law enforcement, both former athletes and military veterans make ideal candidates for their positions.

“Athletes transfer over well because they have a sense of teamwork and with military (having) already served, they have that servant heart that helps a lot,” he said. “We’re looking for people with good character, good communications skills, dependable and like I said, that community-oriented mindset. They’ve gotta buy into geo-policing and understand the community.”

For community members who are intrigued by the opportunity, whether it be the compensation or just the opportunity to serve and protect the community, they can simply visit joinacpd.org.