Prince George County board weighs reclassifying sworn police IT post to deputy director to shore up public safety technology

Prince George County officials on Monday presented a proposal to reclassify a sworn police officer position into a deputy director of information technology to address gaps in public safety IT coverage and compliance.

Major Nate James Nicholas, acting police chief, told the Board of Supervisors the county’s public safety IT responsibilities now cover roughly 160 field devices and more than 30 specialized law‑enforcement programs and that the current model—relying on a sworn officer with IT duties—creates a single point of failure. "Today, we're discussing the foundation of our modern response capabilities, our public safety IT infrastructure," Nicholas said, arguing that the change is about resilience, officer safety and legal compliance.

Ms. Butler, county staff, outlined two budget options: reclassifying the incumbent sworn position and shifting it into the IT budget would add about $32,000 in FY2027 and $42,000 in FY2028; creating an additional civilian position without removing the sworn assignment would have a much larger fiscal impact—Ms. Butler cited roughly $150,000 for FY2027 and approximately $188,000 for FY2028 (staff noted the FY28 number in the presentation was abbreviated). She also said the county has requested an additional $30,000 from Fort Lee under the existing intergovernmental agreement but had not received a definitive commitment.

Supervisors questioned title, step placement and pension effects, asking whether years of service would transfer for retirement calculations and whether the county could instead attach compensation to the existing administrative assignment. County staff said internal discussions favored the deputy director title to provide 24/7 coverage while preserving overlap with the county IT team; they said experience and service with Prince George County would transfer for step placement.

Several supervisors asked for more detailed information before committing. Questions included the cost and scope of vendor support contracts, the degree to which documented procedures exist, and how a handover or knowledge‑transfer program would be staffed. Ms. Drury, finance staff, said the roughly $32,000 FY27 cost could come from contingency if the board agreed to reclassify prior to budget adoption and noted contingency would be about $186,273 at adoption after accounting for another equipment repair.

The board did not reach a consensus on the reclassification on Monday and requested follow‑up information—vendor support levels, detailed contract costs and documentation of operational procedures—so staff can prepare a resolution and budget amendment for a future meeting. The county administrator would include any approved change in the FY2027 appropriation resolution submitted for adoption.