Fairfax County Police Department News

Fairfax County, VA – Today Assistant Chief Eli Cory welcomed 48 recruits at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy, marking the start of their 25-week basic training and the initiation of their careers in law enforcement.

FCPD has continued our recruitment and retention initiatives. The new and improved streamlined hiring process has proven effective in attracting the best candidates, without changing strict hiring standards. 

For sworn officers, FCPD implemented a retention action plan that addresses morale, motivation, and preferences to identify actionable concerns to retain talent. We also developed a wellness 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 provide officers with health and wellness training through the academy and throughout their career.

Session 91 includes a diverse group of recruits and is comprised of individuals from all walks of life. In October 2021, FCPD joined over 100 other agencies in signing the 30×30 pledge – aiming to increase the representation of women in police recruit classes to 30% by the year 2030. Of the 48 recruits in this class, 12 (25%) are women.  FCPD continues to be the leader in this initiative.

Additionally, the recruits of Session 91 bring valuable education and language fluency skills to the department: 37 recruits (77%) have earned a higher education degree and 18 recruits (37%) are fluent in multiple languages.

This class also consists of 12 recruits (25%) who served in the military and 22 recruits (45%) are residents of Fairfax County. These measures of diversity, among others, are representative of the great strides FCPD has made in ensuring that the recruits hired by the department are representative of the community they serve.

This session also boasts our wonderful pipeline of recruiting, with recruits who were interns, explorers, apprentices and Police Leaders of Tomorrow.  Our pipeline of recruiting can be found here. “PARS” or our Pre-Academy Recruit program, introduces recruits to their new role, department culture and history, generational differences, physical fitness, financial wellness, and an array of career pathways.

The FCPD Academy is 25 weeks long and includes basic instruction in the procedures, techniques, principles of law enforcement, incident report writing, criminal law, traffic enforcement, and first aid. All officers also receive implicit and generational bias training. This training is designed to help officers build trust and positive relationships within their communities and is a crucial part of how FCPD keeps Fairfax County safe.

Considering a career in law enforcement? Look no further than Virginia’s largest municipal police department. If you’re interested in learning more about FCPD and joining our ranks, please visit JoinFCPD.com for more information.