Fairfax County police Deputy Chief Eli Cory recently welcomed 33 new recruits at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy, marking the start of their 25-week basic training and the initiation of their law-enforcement careers.
The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) has implemented a comprehensive revamp of its recruitment-and-retention initiatives, which involved streamlining the recruiting process without changing hiring standards, police said.
For sworn officers, FCPD implemented a retention action plan that addresses morale, motivation and preferences to retain talent. The department also developed a wellness-and-fitness program, WellFit, for sworn officers and incoming recruits. This program consists of professional strength-and-conditioning coaches, nutritionists, physical therapists and other wellness professionals who give officers health-and-wellness training during the academy and throughout their career.
Nearly two-thirds of the recruits (60.7 percent) have earned a higher-education degree, and nearly half (47.4 percent) are fluent in multiple languages.
This class also has six recruits (15.8 percent) who have served in the military and 13 recruits (39 percent) who reside in Fairfax County.
The FCPD Academy is 25 weeks long and includes basic instruction in the procedures, techniques and principles of law enforcement, as well as incident-report writing, criminal law, traffic enforcement and first aid.
