HAYMARKET, Va. – Police Chief Al Seibert told the Town Council on July 7 that while the number of calls to police is up this year, it’s the complexity of those calls that’s stretching his department.
“It wasn’t necessarily a larger call volume — it’s a more complex call volume,” Seibert said. “We’ve had the robbery, we’ve had the stolen vehicle, we’ve had other health or issues on the mental health crisis with certain individuals.”
Councilwoman Mary Ramirez said data in the report showed increased dispatch and officer-initiated calls. “Our officers are really, really working hard,” she said.
Seibert said the department is keeping up with added training, legal updates, and proactive steps. “We’re doing the things that we need to do to make sure that we stay up to date and prepared,” he said.
Ramirez also noted lower DMV grant usage in the second quarter. Seibert explained the latest quarter had just ended, and that officers were covering more shifts in-house. “That is partially correct,” he said. “We did purchase equipment in the first quarter as well, so that’s an anomaly.”
She urged council to consider hiring more officers to protect community policing. “I want to make sure that we’re not letting the community policing piece slip out from under us,” she said.
Seibert also highlighted his department’s use of a speed-monitoring sign, participation in Click It or Ticket, and mentorship of two interns. He said the sign will move from Jefferson Street to Fayette to collect additional traffic data.
“It has been very influential on reducing the speed in that area to where we like it,” Seibert said.
