CRISIS MODE - Staffing Continues To Plummet

The staffing crisis continues at VPD and it is not isolated to the cops. Four civilian employees (with no replacements) have resigned for other agencies or retired before they really wanted to in the last month. Dispatch supervisor, Teresa Olsen, recently resigned taking with her 25 years of training and experience. She has a Masters Degree and is a certified POST instructor. She was the training coordinator for all new hires in the Radio Room. She was the IBEW shop steward and on the negotiating team. Also leaving VPD was the crime analyst and two records clerks. The spiraling staffing is a result of poor leadership as evidenced by members of all ranks and job classifications resigning (with seniority) and moving on to agencies with better working conditions. Two out of this group are women - further eroding the 30 by 30 concept.  Changes need to be made soon as this crisis continues to build and the ability to provide basic police service, in all aspects, is severely hampered.