October 11, 2021 – The Lynchburg Police Department (LPD), like agencies across the state and country, is experiencing staffing challenges not seen before in law enforcement. At this time, the LPD has 28 vacant sworn officer positions. Our first priority as a law enforcement agency is to answer calls for service from our residents and visitors. The LPD must have adequate staffing in our patrol function to accomplish this task.
To ensure we can provide consistent service delivery, the LPD made several staffing changes effective Wednesday, October 6 that will remain in effect until further notice. These changes include temporarily moving 11 officers from several specialized functions back to our Field Operations Bureau to serve as patrol officers.
These transfers include, but are not limited to, the Traffic Safety Unit, School Resource Officers (SROs), the Intelligence Unit, and the Community Action Team. The LPD has moved two sergeants to Linkhorne Middle School and Dunbar Middle School to replace the SROs that are now back in patrol so all Lynchburg City Schools have appropriate coverage.
This is a short-term attempt to address our staffing challenges and will affect service delivery provided by some specialized units. LPD officers continue to serve our community with dedication and compassion under trying circumstances as our department struggles to meet community needs with a disproportionate level of staffing. The past 18 months have challenged our profession in ways we never expected – our officers have managed increased demands for service coupled with the mental health crisis, significant police reform, and serving at the forefront of a global pandemic with resiliency and maturity.
The LPD is working with City staff to develop a comprehensive, long-term solution to address recruitment and retention challenges currently affecting the department and our ability to meet the growing expectations of our community.