DUMFRIES, Va. — Nicholas R. Esposito will serve as the new Dumfries Police Chief.
The former Alexandria police officer was hired April 1 and took command two days later after a search ongoing dating back to August. Esposito’s resume states he gained experience in all facets of police work while in the Northern Virginia including interviewing victims, witnesses, enforcing traffic law, arresting suspects, and testifying in court.
Nine new police officers have been hired to work at the town’s police department, which works with Prince William County to patrol the 1.5 square-mile town. The new hires represent a rebound for an agency that saw its chief Rebecca Edwards quit late last summer after her salary was cut, and a majority of its officers followed her out the door.
The department had just two officers working this past winter, down from a fully-staffed complement of 11 officers last June.
The new hires also come at a time when the town voted to train its new officers at the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy in Fredericksburg.
“There is not enough training room for us at the Prince William County Academy. They’re always recruiting and filling their classes, so there’s only one our two available during the timeframe when we need,” said Acting Town Manager Larry Hughes.
The town also expects to save on the cost of training new officers in Fredericksburg. The cost to train one officer in the Prince William academy is $1,000, while the cost per officer at the Rappahannock facility is $377, according to Dumfries Town Clerk Dawn Hobgood.
The Dumfries Police Department interviewed 20 officer applicants in February. Last month, the department had planned to hire seven officers.
“The police department does not again want to be in the position to hire seven officers all at once,” said then-interim police chief Sgt. Micheal Justice.
There are still two open sergeant positions in the town, according to town documents dated March 27, 2017.
A memorandum of understanding between the town and the Prince William training academy still stands, allowing the town send two officers to attend each of the two officer training classes held twice a year.
