Virginia agency bringing back ‘retired’ cops to fill the beat – Law Officer

Norfolk, Virginia – You know police recruiting is bad when agencies turn to “rehiring” officers that previously retired. That is exactly what the Norfolk City Council approved last week. WAVY reports that Norfolk Police retirees are being asked to join the force again to help supplement the department’s short staffing.

Former officers will be returning to perform some desk work on a part-time basis. This would allow full-time officers to hit the streets.

Currently, the agency is 250 officer short, more than any other local police department.

In early July, the department announced a restructuring that would be pushing many non-emergency calls to its Telephone Response Unit (TRU), the online Citizens Reporting System or the MyNorfolk App. The goal is to provide better in-person service for more urgent matters.

During a presentation to City Council last week, Interim Police Chief Mike Goldsmith said bringing back former officers that still have their Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services certification up-to-date will help accomplish the same purpose.