WILLIAMSBURG – The Williamsburg Police Department is hosting a job fair on Thursday, Aug. 6, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at 615 Lafayette St. where applicants will have an opportunity to meet departmental staff, tour the facility and sign up for a written test.
Police Chief Sean Dunn said the department is looking to fill four officer positions, which would bring the department’s total staff up to 50. He noted that the number of vacancies is higher than usual, but that it’s due to the City Council approving three additional officer positions, as well as one existing vacancy.
“I don’t know of a police department in 2026 that’s easily filling their vacancies,” he said. “(This way), people can come in and see the facilities and meet a number of our staff.”
Dunn, who previously served as a Police Commander in Portsmouth, said he doesn’t anticipate the “hundreds of candidates” PPD received, but that WPD is “on the upswing” in terms of applicant numbers.
He said the department works “very hard to be competitive” in terms of salary offers and benefits. According to the WPD’s section on the city’s site, a recruit receives a starting salary of $56,174.66, but this goes up to $59,674.66 when they complete the police academy. If a candidate is already certified – meaning they’ve gone through the necessary training and met qualifications – they start out at $59,674.66.
Benefits include participation in the Virginia Retirement System, health and life insurance, a tuition refund program and a Career Development Program. The department also offers the Guardian Officer Certification Program, which comes with a salary of $75,658.39. According to their page, the program “requires specialized training and a commitment to Community Engagement that creates a partnership between the officer and the community they serve.”
Dunn emphasized that the character of a recruit is crucial to the hiring decision.
“We need people of integrity, people with good communication skills, compassion, empathy for others, who take pride in themselves and the work they do,” he explained.
The hiring process includes a background check, written testing and both physical and psychological screenings. Dunn said that the latter tests are designed to ensure recruits are prepared for the realities of policing.
“I tell my recruits, ‘You’re going to be meeting people at not just the worst moment of their days, but possibly the worst times in their lives,’” he explained. “I need to know my officers can handle that and still take care of themselves.”
