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Stephens City police, volunteer fire report lower call volumes; committee delays police chief hiring
Summary
Acting Police Chief Steve Hawkins and Fire & EMS Chief Timothy Vaught reported lower response volumes and adequate PPE; the Public Safety Committee voted to postpone the police-chief hiring process because of the pandemic.
Stephens City received separate operational briefings on public-safety services during the April 7 council meeting and in a Public Safety Committee meeting April 9.
Acting Police Chief Major Steve Hawkins read the department report at the council meeting and advised officers Copp and Payne to use "common sense enforcement" amid pandemic constraints. The written police report included with the packet (dated May 4, 2020) lists 723 calls for service in April, mutual-aid assists to neighboring agencies and two incident reports (assault and battery; vandalism); courts were largely closed during the month.
Fire & EMS Chief Timothy J. Vaught reported that April responses were down versus March and said the volunteer company had about 150–173 responses in the month (the packet lists 173 responses and total year-to-date 816). He told council PPE supplies remained adequate and exposure to the virus among personnel had been limited.
At a Public Safety Committee meeting held remotely on April 9, Committee Chair Jason Nauman and members Ronald Bowers and Ritter unanimously agreed to postpone the selection and hiring process for a permanent Chief of Police until a later date because of pandemic-related constraints. The committee also reported renewed engagement with VDOT about long-standing Main Street crosswalk and signage requests and discussed a Mulberry Street no-parking concern that may affect emergency access; the committee asked town staff for follow-up and suggested temporary "No Parking by Police Order" signage if necessary.
Why it matters: the reports indicate changes in service demand and operational posture at public-safety agencies during the pandemic; postponing the chief hiring delays a major personnel decision for the department.
What happens next: the Public Safety Committee directed town staff to notify applicants that the hiring process is on hold and to continue coordination with VDOT and public works on crosswalk signage and parking enforcement as needed.
