CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A trend of being able to hire more Charlottesville and Albemarle Police officers and trainees is also the case with Virginia State Police with a record 92 trainees for their new 144th basic session. They actually started with 98 at a June 25 orientation in the State Police headquarters in North Chesterfield, but there’s a usual attrition as the process continues. It’s still the largest contingent since 2018’s 129th Basic Session, and the 144th is still expected to pick more trainees during the 28-week course process.
Police recruitment became dicey especially after the 2020 George Floyd incident as fewer people wanted to be officers, and officer retainment also became challenging. The challenges started prior to that with Charlottesville Police as city officer recruitment and retention suffered after 2017 with public reaction to the police response. However, both Albemarle Police Chief Sean Reeves and Charlottsville Police Chief Michael Kochis have both experienced increased interest and hiring over the past couple of years. And now VSP attributes their large class this year to a new Troopers Rise Above recruitment campaign.
Included among the trainees is former TV reporter Robert Castillo from Bluefield, WV. “For me, law enforcement was my first true love. I just never really pursued it, so I figured life’s too short not pursue your dreams,” Castillo said…