Leesburg police report new enforcement unit, upgraded cameras and wellness grant

Councilmember Cummings gave the Town Council an update on the Leesburg Police Department’s recent initiatives: creation of a Special Enforcement Team, technology upgrades for officers, and new wellness programming funded by a grant.

Cummings said Chief Pernat leads a department “that works diligently every day to live up to the expectations of community policing. Our police are part of the community and have many strong relationships within that community.” He said the department established a Special Enforcement Team in October 2024, a bike-certified unit originally tasked with combating organized retail theft but now positioned to address a range of quality-of-life and crime trends.

The department deployed fully integrated body-worn and in-car video systems; Cummings said the upgraded in-car systems include built-in automated license plate readers (LPRs) to assist officers in real time. Stationary LPRs were also installed in key corridors to help identify stolen vehicles, missing persons and wanted subjects and to support investigative follow-up.

Cummings said officers have been issued new high-visibility yellow conducted energy weapons intended to provide a clear visual cue of a less-lethal option and to support transparency and de-escalation. He also said the department won a COPS mental health and wellness grant that will fund counseling, peer support and resiliency training and that the department began a policy requiring annual wellness education checks for all personnel. Cummings added that officers and staff are fluent in more than a dozen languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Punjabi and Korean.