After three decades of service, Fredericksburg Police Department Chief Brian Layton will retire effective Jan. 1, 2026, the city announced Friday.
In a press release, the city stated that Layton, who has served in the department since 1994 and as chief since January 2020, “leaves behind a legacy of leadership, modernization, and community-focused policing.”
The release noted several achievements during Layton’s tenure with the Fredericksburg Police Department. They include:
- Navigated unprecedented challenges, including the civil unrest of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Modernized departmental operations through new technology, policy updates, and organizational restructuring, including the creation of six new supervisory positions and five additional police officer positions. - Achieved national reaccreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2023, as well as national accreditation for the city’s Emergency 911 Center (anticipated November 2025).
- Served as key member of the City Management Executive Leadership Team.
- Led a five-year effort to achieve historic public safety compensation and benefit enhancements, strengthening recruitment, retention, and the city’s regional competitiveness.
- Secured and managed more than $6 million in grant funding to expand officer wellness, community programs, and regional training initiatives.
- Launched a Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) pairing law enforcement officers with mental health clinicians to respond to residents in crisis.
- Increased School Resource Officer (SRO) staffing so that all five city schools have an assigned SRO.
- Chief Layton also played a vital role in regional public safety, serving as co-chairman of both the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy Executive Board and the Rappahannock Regional Jail Authority Board.
“I have been honored to serve the residents, business owners, and visitors of the City of Fredericksburg for the past 31 years,” Layton said in a press release. “This department is full of talented, dedicated professionals who care deeply about this community. The progress we’ve made has been the result of teamwork, resilience, and the commitment of our sworn staff, 911 dispatchers, and civilian staff. It has been my greatest privilege to work with them.”
Added City Manager Tim Baroody: “Chief Layton has served this community with integrity, dedication, and unwavering commitment to public safety. His leadership has left a lasting impact on the police department and the city as a whole. We thank him for his years of service and wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.”
In retirement, Layton looks forward to family time, plenty of golf, and relaxing at the lake as he begins this new chapter, the release states.
Baroody appointed Deputy Chief Besty Mason as interim police chief effective Jan. 1, 2026. A permanent announcement is expected in 2026.
