The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors had a chance to hear from department heads Wednesday about how they’ll use the proposed funding in the $733 Million budget. A major theme from the 5-hour work session was the need to fund recruitment efforts.
Chesterfield Chief of Police Colonel Jeffrey Katz wants his department to implement a Police Servicing Program. This would allow the department to hire 18-year-olds to write car crash reports and staff intersections when traffic lights are out. Katz says the new agents would not be sworn officers.
“Our sworn staffing-we want to be small. As small as it can be for a county agency and exclusive.”
Katz says they’re looking to hire between 75 to 100 service agents at a cost $350,000. That figure is for half a fiscal year. The agents would have different uniforms and different cars then their counterparts.
“It’s a less expensive way to get the job done in a more responsive way and to cultivate like I said a farm league.”
Katz says recruitment is an ongoing challenge and that his department hasn’t been fully staffed in a decade.
