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Fairfax County is close to finalizing a union agreement that would clear the way for animal-control responsibilities to move out of the police department and into the Department of Animal Services.
The consolidation, approved last year through the county’s fiscal year 2025 budget, would transfer work now performed by the Fairfax County Police Department’s Animal Protection Police. Those officers respond to situations ranging from stray pets to suspected animal cruelty and neglect.
Assistant Police Chief Bob Blakley told the Board of Supervisors’ safety and security committee on Feb. 11 that the county’s plan was “almost at the point” of final agreement with the local Southern States Police Benevolent Association chapter, the bargaining unit for police department employees.
The union had previously raised concerns about how the change could affect animal-protection services.
Current Animal Protection Police members would be able to take comparable civilian jobs in the Department of Animal Services or remain with the police department in different roles. Blakley said the county has worked to protect the compensation, benefits and retirement arrangements of employees who transfer.
“No employee will lose anything that they currently have,” he said.
Employees performing similar field duties after the consolidation will be called animal-service officers and animal-services investigators. The county is advertising those jobs but will wait to fill them until officials know how many current police personnel want to transfer.
Thomas Ingle has already been hired as chief field-services officer to lead the transition. He will also serve as deputy director of the Department of Animal Services, formerly known as the Department of Animal Sheltering.
Training new personnel is expected to take about three months. During that period, the police department and animal-services department will operate “side by side” to prevent disruptions, Blakley said.
Animal Services Director Reasa Currier said residents should notice little difference. Requests for animal-control help are expected to be handled through the same process used today.
The department is also forming a wildlife advisory committee to offer guidance and feedback during and after the transition.
Several supervisors questioned whether the new structure would have enough frontline staffing.
Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk, who chairs the committee, noted that other police personnel can currently help when Animal Protection Police staffing falls short. He requested more information about how such shortages would be addressed after the transfer.
Mount Vernon District Supervisor Daniel Storck questioned the program’s planned staffing hierarchy, calling it “pretty top-heavy.”
“I have a hard time accepting it as the best structure,” Storck said.