Fairfax County Police Department Launches Largest Academy Class in Over a Decade

During a time when police staffing levels and applications for police officer candidates are at historical lows across the country, the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) is incentivizing a record number of applications and hiring qualified candidates who are excited to join their department.

This week, Chief Kevin Davis welcomed 56 candidates starting their first day at the FCPD Academy. Session 84 is the largest academy class in almost 10 years and one of the most diverse classes ever.

“FCPD has focused its efforts in finding people with a passion to serve and a desire to make a difference in communities. By streamlining our processes, and showing our future cops what FCPD is all about, we were able to make huge strides in this academy class,” Chief Kevin Davis.

With the hiring challenges facing police departments across the nation, FCPD conducted an overhaul of its recruiting and retention programs by streamlining the recruiting process without changing their hiring standards to ensure they attract the best candidates.

For sworn officers, FCPD implemented a retention action plan that addresses morale, motivation, and preferences to identify actionable concerns to retain sworn workforce. They also developed a “Well-Fit” program for sworn officers and incoming recruits. This program consists of professional strength & conditioning coaches, nutritionists, physical therapists, and others to provide officers with health and wellness training through the academy and throughout their career.

Diversity is important at FCPD and Session 84 is one of the most culturally diverse academy classes in department history. In Oct. 2021, FCPD joined over 100 other agencies in signing the 30 x 30 pledge — aiming to increase the representation of women in police recruit classes to 30% by the year 2030. Of the 56 new recruits in this class, 14 are women (25%). Since joining the initiative FCPD has met or exceeded the 30% benchmark, resulting in an overall department representation of 29.7% women.

The FCPD Academy lasts 25 weeks and includes basic instruction in the procedures, techniques, and principles of law enforcement, incident report writing, criminal law, traffic enforcement, and First Aid.  All officers also receive implicit and generational bias training; a training designed to help officers build trust and positive relationships within their communities and a crucial part of how FCPD keeps Fairfax County safe.

Considering a career in law enforcement? Look no further than Virginia’s largest police department. If you’re interested in learning more about FCPD and joining our ranks, please visit JoinFCPD.com for more information.