Lexington Police Chief Steve Crowder says two public forums that Mayor Mimi Elrod organized last summer to address citizen complaints about his department were factors in his decision to retire at the end of this month.
“It upset me, it bothered me about the accusations that were made and the perceptions," Crowder said this week. “I can’t say that it didn’t.”
Crowder, who announced his retirement at the Aug. 14 City Council meeting, has been a police officer for 34 years and Lexington’s chief for the past three. He plans to start a limousine and private car service in February.
Elrod said this week she had heard many complaints from residents about the police when she became mayor, the most common being that police were “too aggressive, that citizens felt harassed, that too many people are cited for drunk in publics when they should be allowed to walk home.”
Crowder had the opportunity to address the community concerns in the second forum, but Elrod was unhappy with the response.
"I did not think he dealt with the concerns that were expressed. He reverted back to things like, ‘we don't want drunk drivers on the street,’ which I do not think really addressed citizens' concerns,” Elrod said this week.
Crowder said things appeared to have been blown out of proportion.
“When all is said and done… perceptions were not as bad as we thought,” he said earlier this week.
Opinions expressed at the forums will affect the hiring of the new chief, Lexington City Manager Jon Ellestad said.
“The community panels have influenced what I am going to do in terms of the skills and traits I am looking for [in a new police chief], but not the process itself,” said Ellestad. “I knew I wanted a more open process.”
The last time the police chief position opened, Ellestad did not look outside the department and instead promoted Crowder, a lieutenant at the time.
Now the position is open to all officers who are certified in Virginia. Twenty to 30 applicants are expected. Ellestad said he hopes to have a new chief by the end of February.
Crowder predicts a strong field of applicants.
“This is a very sought-after position in a very sought-after town,” he said. “Look around; it’s one of the best towns you can live in.”
If Ellestad hires a chief from outside the department, it will be the first time since the 1980s.
“There are definitely pros and cons to bringing someone in. If you get the wrong one who doesn’t understand what a small college town force should be like, it could be bad,” he said, referring to the dynamic between students and residents. One of the main concerns at the public hearings was the number of drunk in public citations issued to students who were trying to walk home.
Two people within the force, Lt. Bucky Miller and Investigator Mark Riley, have the necessary experience to apply but neither one has announced his intentions. As for what kind of chief he is looking for, Ellestad said he wants someone to fine-tune the police force.
“I am not looking for someone who will come in and change the whole operation,” he said. “I don’t think our department is broken.”
Ellestad’s selection process includes a two-part interview by separate panels, one of retired and active Virginia police chiefs and one of Lexington citizens. The five members of the citizen panel represent city institutions and demographics: Mike Young of Washington and Lee University’s Public Safety team, Col. Jeff Curtis of Virginia Military Institute, Lexington Schools Superintendent Dan Lyons, and two citizens, Leonard Stewart and Diane Herrick. Stewart is a former Lexington Police officer, current Project Horizon employee and longtime Lexington resident. Herrick is a former member of the Lexington City Council.
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