CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — Over the last five years, the Virginia State Police has seen a sharp decrease in applications and recruiting troopers.
With the pandemic, and overall attitudes surrounding law enforcement, the decline led to over 350 vacancies in the department.
Lieutenant Michael Schatzel with Virginia State Police says their applicant pool was dwindling with their class sizes averaging just 53 troopers between January 2020 until September of 2024.
“We can’t blame it on one thing. You know, maybe things could have been done, or done better as a whole, across the board by us, or other people,” he said.
Last fall, they made a change.
“We partnered with a company called Epic Recruiting that focuses on law enforcement and does a lot with agencies through their marketing, and social media, and that has really been the biggest transformation for us,” he said.
Schatzel says that led to a 56% jump in applications, a transformation big enough to grab the attention of Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this month, as he welcomed the 99 men and women that make up VSP’s 144th class.
“We have the fourth-largest basic training class in the history of the commonwealth. The largest since 2018,” Youngkin said.
And the kudos from the highest executive in the commonwealth is only firing them up to continue to expand.
“We have never had the governor come in and essentially welcome a class into the state police. And it’s just motivating for us, the class, for everyone around,” Schatzel said.
And beyond their new recruiting class, VSP is getting some additional new muscle to take to the interstates in the form of seven new Mustangs, one for each division.
“It all falls within our primary mission, and that’s enhancing public safety. And also, to boost morale for our troopers and give them an innovative tool to help them do their jobs,” Schatzel said.
Schatzel says the new rides allow them to change gears, literally and metaphorically, by saving them money compared to their other cars.
“It’s actually cheaper for us to buy Mustangs than any other patrol vehicle. It is about $500 cheaper than the Explorer,” he said.
And they are wasting no time putting them to use. Schatzel says they will be hitting the roads in the next few days.
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