Police officers warn council pay compression risks staffing crisis; call for CIP funding for facility

Joseph Brown, a master police officer and senior vice president of the Norfolk chapter of the Virginia Police Benevolent Association, told Norfolk City Council during a public hearing on the FY 2025'—26 budget that persistent pay compression and unclear career paths are driving officers away and risk a staffing crisis similar to past losses.

"A few years ago, we lost approximately 200 officers within our department," Brown said. He described the effect on response times and morale, arguing the city needs a competitive pay plan and capital investment in police facilities to keep officers on the force.

Brown said the department's civilian staff, dispatchers and investigators continue to occupy a facility that was intended to be temporary 30 years ago and that the building suffers from air-conditioning and plumbing issues. He urged the council to include a police facility in the upcoming capital improvement budget.

Mark Heckman, introduced to the council by the clerk and speaking for the Fraternal Order of Police, called for a new pay plan that raises the top-out pay for experienced officers so the city can retain and recruit personnel without relying on overtime.

"To ensure the experienced officers stay here in Norfolk, they need a future that is more financially rewarding," Heckman said, arguing higher top-out pay would reduce turnover and long-term overtime expenses.

Both speakers said they had met with the city manager and staff and provided alternative proposals to address compression, but said those conversations had not yet produced an acceptable plan. Neither speaker reported a formal agreement or council action at the hearing.

The hearing included no council vote on pay or CIP changes; council members will consider the full budget in subsequent deliberations where staff recommendations and budget amendments will be available.