Stafford County Sheriff and State vs. Local

[Osprey13]

As the title says, does anyone here have experience with Stafford County Sheriff? A friend of mine lives there and recommended I check them out, but I'm interested in more than one opinion.

In line with that, can anyone elaborate on pro's and con's of state vs. local PD departments in Virginia?

The only main difference I'm seeing so far in northern counties is that state has a higher starting salary. The two main points I'm interested are 1. Work environment, such as working relationships with other officers and workload, and 2. Benefit packages such as healthcare.

Any information appreciated, thanks.

[Investgator88]

As the title says, does anyone here have experience with Stafford County Sheriff? A friend of mine lives there and recommended I check them out, but I'm interested in more than one opinion.

In line with that, can anyone elaborate on pro's and con's of state vs. local PD departments in Virginia?

The only main difference I'm seeing so far in northern counties is that state has a higher starting salary. The two main points I'm interested are 1. Work environment, such as working relationships with other officers and workload, and 2. Benefit packages such as healthcare.

Any information appreciated, thanks.

What kind of LE do you think you are interested in? Stafford SO is the primary agency in Stafford County and the State works wrecks. In all but the smaller counties in VA the State Police work traffic where that is their primary responsibility.

Stafford recently got a public safety pay scale which puts pay similar to that of Prince William which keeps things more competitive.

To point 1:. The work environment is great. The admin is great and is very supportive. Solid group of Co workers. Workload depends on your shift but generally it's high. The county has grown rapidly and the size of the Sheriff's Office has not caught up yet.

Proactive police work still happens and it is encouraged but call volume sometimes will prevent that from happening.

Point 2 Benefits are good. Unlike many agencies in VA, you actually are eligible for retirement healthcare after at least 15 years of service. To remain competitive the leave structure just changed where employees earn more leave.

Stafford is a solid agency and I would recommend it to anyone. Stafford also has a fantastic reputation.