Dumfries cuts jobs, chief’s salary in police expansion effort

The Dumfries Police Department will be forced to eliminate two positions, and lower the police chief’s salary as part of a restructuring and expansion effort.

Town leaders voted 4-3 on August 3 to implement a reduction in force that will see the elimination of a current police captain position, one civilian administrator job, and the reduction of Chief Rebecca Edwards annual salary of $95,000 to $70,000.

Afterward, three new full-time police officers will be hired with a yearly salary of $46,500 each. The move, officials said, would allow the department to restore nearly 24-hour policing services to the town — something the department has not seen since 2006.

Prince William County Police Department officers regularly respond to emergency calls alongside Dumfries police during the day and is the single department to respond to calls during overnight hours.

“The citizens are the one that drive this. They are the ones who want to want to know ‘where is the police officer,’ and ‘Why is Prince William County always responding to this?” said Dumfries Councilman Cliff Brewer.

Mayor Jerry Foreman authored a report that recommended the reduction in force. The elimination of two higher-salaried positions would allow the department to hire three new officers to expand police patrol coverage and keep within the town’s $4.9 million operating budget approved in June — the largest town budget ever, noted Foreman.

Overall, the move will save taxpayers $71 per year, according to Foreman’s report.

“Let’s not make this about the quality of the police department. I’m just as proud of the officers in our department as anyone else,” said Foreman, defending his recommendation.

Chief Edwards sent a letter to then Town Manager Daniel Taber in June indicating that at least four new sworn police officers would be required to achieve near 24-hour police coverage in the town. Before the Town Council voted for the reduction in force, the department had 11 positions to include a chief, captain, two sergeants, six patrol officers, and a school resource officer. 

The department would still need to rely on assistance from Prince William County for larger investigations, and specialty units such as K-9 teams and SWAT, said Edwards.

Much of what the Dumfries department officers do is defined as “community policing,” where officers frequently walk a beat and talk with residents, said Edwards. The department would still need to rely on assistance from Prince William County for larger investigations, and specialty units such as K-9 teams and SWAT, she noted.

Foreman suggested the town review the roles and responsibilities, noting that “Since 2010, there appears to be some scope and mission creep within the department’s operations.” 

The move will have no bearing on what services county police provide to town residents.

“We will still have a presence in the town and respond to handle major investigations and provide other resources as needed,” said Prince William police 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok.

The move comes as the town is between Town Managers, following the retirement of Daniel Taber. Some on the Town Council wanted to put off changes at the police department until a new town manager is hired.

“We have a new town manager coming in October. Let’s give them plenty of time to assess and make changes before we implement 24-hour service,” said Councilman William Murphy, who voted against the move. “I don’t want to put them in a position that would tie their hands or hurt them as they’re trying to succeed.”

Edwards states her department has been in a transition since 2010 when the department had 15 officers. “Challenging economic times that followed resulted in the number of the sworn positions being decreased to 10,” states Edwards in her letter to Taber. 

With the addition of a School Resource Officer at Dumfries Elementary School in 2013, the department now has 11 sworn officer positions.