Salisbury City Manager David Treme announced today that Lt. Rodney Harris, a nineteen-year veteran with the Salisbury Police Department, will begin serving as the city’s Acting Police Chief effective immediately upon retirement of Police Chief Mark Wilhelm.
Wilhelm’s scheduled retirement from office is slated for midnight, December 31, 2009.
Harris will provide the Salisbury Police Department with leadership during the interim as interviews are conducted to name Wilhelm’s successor. An announcement naming a newly selected Salisbury Police Chief is expected by mid-February 2010.
Internal applications for Chief of Police will be posted and accepted through January 15, 2010 with an anticipated conclusion for internal interviews by January 30. City Manager Treme notes that several individuals currently employed within the ranks of the Salisbury Police Department have shown interest in the position.  “All things being equal, my preference is to select the most qualified individual who is currently serving in a leadership capacity within the Salisbury Police Department,” Treme said. 
Lt. Harris is a 2009 honors graduate of Livingstone College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice. Harris began active police duty with the Salisbury Police Department in 1990 as a patrol officer. He served twelve years as an investigator, followed by four years as a police sergeant.
Harris was promoted to lieutenant in 2008.
“It is a great honor to serve the City of Salisbury and its citizens during this interim period as Acting Police Chief. It is our goal, at the Salisbury Police Department, to create an environment in which citizens and visitors feel safe in all parts of our City,” Harris said.
The Salisbury Police Department is an internationally accredited police department with over 110 employees.
The City of Salisbury is an equal opportunity employer with over 180 different job classifications and more than 400 full time positions.
For more information regarding the City of Salisbury and its services and departments, please visit us on the web at www.salisburync.gov.