The man selected three years ago to be next in command to former Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher will succeed his ex-boss as the city's top cop.
David Roddy, who was chief of staff and deputy chief to Fletcher since July 2014 and acting chief since Fletcher's retirement last month, is the choice of Mayor Andy Berke to lead the city's police force.
The mayor said he sought a candidate "worthy of the people who do this" and someone who would inspire his fellow officers. His choice, he said, has proven organizational know-how and understands the job goes beyond catching folks who break the law to the broader areas of safety and community.
Roddy was Fletcher's pick to succeed him and was the rumored choice of rank-and-file officers and City Hall. Nevertheless, we're glad he wasn't elevated to police chief when Fletcher retired but had to apply and be scrutinized like the 48 other candidates. He had to pass muster with a five-member local selection committee and appeal to Berke as well.
Although he wasn't the choice of the local chapter of the NAACP, the organization pronounced the 23-year police veteran qualified to lead the 500-plus person police department.
Roddy was chosen over Chattanooga Assistant Chief Edwin McPherson and Capt. Todd Chamberlain of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The new police chief, in explaining to the City Council in May how police will be involved in two groups to further community outreach, demonstrated he understands the difficulty police encounter in some of their contacts today.
"This uniform, in certain settings, does not encourage open communication, especially with individuals who may not have had positive interactions with law enforcement due to their lives," he said.
Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod, at the time, praised the department's new outreaches.
"I think it's very important for the African-American community," she said, "because a lot of us don't have trust and haven't had opportunities to build relationships with police officers that are there to serve and protect."
If a city-generated online survey on the highest priorities for a new police chief is any indication, Roddy will have several priorities to tackle. That survey, completed by 225 people, ranked "reducing violent crimes like assaults" first, followed by "reducing shootings," "building relationships with neighborhoods," "increased training," "reducing sexual assaults," "reducing domestic violence" and "reducing property crime."
Following Friday's announcement, Fletcher, Roddy's former boss, tweeted, "I don't know [a] better leader or finer man. I would walk thru [the] gates of hell with him."
We hope Chattanooga won't be quite that challenging, but we feel fortunate to have a new chief who is up to the job.