Falls Church officials are not, to date, seeing police officers move to neighboring communities for more money.
“Not yet,” Police Chief Shahram Fard told City Council members on Jan. 12.
That terse response may reflect some unease in city leadership about recruiting and retaining police in a competitive environment, which has led Arlington to announce a region-high starting salary of $90,000 for new officers hired after July.
The Arlington figure was a jaw-dropper for some leaders in surrounding localities, including Falls Church.
“We do need to stay competitive,” Fard told Council members. He said he is working with City Manager Wyatt Shields on plans to be rolled out as part of the fiscal year 2027 budget process.
City Council members, who will have final say on budget requests, asked for ongoing communication as proposals are developed.
“Keep us informed,” Council member Laura Downs said. “We can try to be creative [to] figure out ways we can sweeten the deal if you feel it’s getting harder to compete.”
Fard, who has been on the job for two years, said the department currently has six vacancies, split equally between sworn officers and dispatch personnel. Over the past two years, there have been 16 separations from the department and 16 hires.
“We’re essentially keeping pace,” he said.
The department has added five new positions in recent years: two officers, two dispatchers and a professional-standards manager.
“We’re not only backfilling the attrition we’ve had in the last few years,” Fard said. “We’re actively growing the department.”
The departures during his tenure largely have been retirements and individuals moving out of the region, the chief said.
“We’ve lost no officers to surrounding departments,” he said.
The fiscal year 2026 budget that went into effect last July totaled $11.8 million for public safety, which includes the police department and fire marshal’s office. That was up 8.4% from a year before, and included about $6 million for salaries plus $2 million for benefits.
