Va. State Police Leader: Agency Faces 'Lean Year' Financially
What to know
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Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Matthew D. Hanley warned of a “lean year” ahead for the agency because of soaring overtime and equipment costs, placing a temporary hold on discretionary spending but not freezing overtime.
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Hanley cited increased expenses tied to adding 100 new troopers and the rising cost of patrol vehicles, with new fully equipped cruisers now costing about $106,000 each.
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Despite a $557 million budget, the agency still reports 340 vacancies and is seeking legislative approval for higher starting pay to improve recruitment and retention.
Soaring overtime and rising costs will make this year a lean one for Virginia State Police, according to an email sent by the agency’s chief executive.
In the email, Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Matthew D. Hanley wrote that internal projections for the upcoming fiscal year are “concerning,” leading him to put a temporary hold on discretionary spending.
Hanley said he has not frozen overtime, a decision that could have public safety ramifications, but he did recently remind commanders to keep a close watch on rising overtime expenses.
A statewide police crackdown dubbed “Operation Magic Dragon” uncovered cocaine, meth, illegal guns, and other drugs at vape shops across Virginia, following Gov. Youngkin’s call to investigate rising criminal activity.
“Overtime has not been frozen. However, we have asked all supervisors to strictly adhere to the current VSP policies on scheduling, work hours and OT. OT spending has soared the last few years,” Hanley told Sen. Scott Surovell, D- Fairfax. The email was released in response to a public records request.
Surovell emailed Hanley after hearing from a trooper about an estimated budget shortfall. Hanley replied that the agency would not go over budget this fiscal year, which runs from July 2025 to June 2026.
“It does look like it will be a lean year,” Hanley wrote.
The budget concerns come on the back of good news for the state police. This summer, the agency graduated its largest incoming class size since 2018 — 100 new troopers. Recruitment efforts had flagged in the interim, leading to a growing number of vacancies. But a rethink of recruitment efforts — that included a $5,000 hiring bonus introduced in 2021 — has helped replenish the agency’s academy ranks.
But while the new troopers begin to solve a longstanding manpower problem, they revive a budgetary one. More troopers mean more police cruisers, which have gone up in cost.
“Just an example, a new Ford Explorer Police Vehicle with all of the required equipment is now $106,000,” Hanley said in the email. “Because we have made some positive gains with vacancies, we will need a lot of vehicles. We know we will be short on vehicle funding this year and will have to make that up somewhere in the budget.”
The budget for Virginia State Police has grown significantly in the past several years. In 2020, the agency received $374 million in general funds. This year, it has budgeted around $557 million.
The agency’s recruitment challenges remain. Last month, the agency filed a number of budgetary requests with the legislature for consideration as they draft a budget for the 2026-2028 biennium.
The requests include a $3,500 raise in the starting pay for troopers, up from $60,000. In the request, agency budget manager Dwayne Easter wrote that state police continue to experience “historic” vacancy levels.
Easter wrote that the agency continues to report 340 vacancies.
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