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Norfolk Police Department Opens New Training Site

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By Debbie Messina, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

Feb. 14--NORFOLK -- The city Police Department on Monday opened a new training center on North Military Highway by welcoming a class of 29 recruits.

The trainees will go through a six-month training program, and the graduates will help fill staffing gaps created after 89 veteran officers took advantage of a one-time retirement incentive program last summer.

The force, which has 766 budgeted positions, has 68 vacancies.

"While we're not completely staffed, it does not affect what we're able to do in field operations," Police Chief Bruce Marquis said.

Marquis added that the department concentrates on keeping a sufficient number of officers on the streets by focusing personnel there and offering overtime.

He added, however, that he is worried that a stepped-up Virginia Beach police recruiting effort could hurt Norfolk's department. Virginia Beach's starting salary is $35,500 , while Norfolk's is $30,390 .

Since July 2002 , 119 officers have resigned from the Virginia Beach force, which has 41 vacancies.

Marquis said Norfolk also faces competition from other Hampton Roads cities that pay more, as well as from large cities, including Los Angeles and New York , that send recruiters to Hampton Roads.

"Our recruiting guys are in a full-out press," said Officer Chris Amos , police spokesman.

Since Marquis arrived about two years ago, Norfolk has gone from having a part-time recruiter to having three full-time recruiters. In addition, the city has gone from two police training academies a year to three , each of which graduates about 25 officers.

Beginning Monday, that training is being run from the Military Highway site. The city purchased the one-story brick building for $5.5 million and spent $1.5 million to convert it. The facility also is home to the bomb squad and the crime analysis and computer statistics departments, and will serve as an emergency operations headquarters in events such as hurricanes.

It also temporarily will house the officers from the 2nd Precinct, which protects the northern half of the city. The former 2nd Precinct station house, near Little Creek and Sewells Point roads, will be demolished to make way for a new Wal-Mart .

A permanent home in the Central Business Park, near the old precinct, is being designed for the 2nd Precinct and is expected to be built in about 3½ years .

Reach Debbie Messina at (757) 446-2588 or debbie.messina@pilotonline.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.

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Source: The Virginian-Pilot

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