GREENVILLE'S FIRST FEMALE POLICE CHIEF
This past Wednesday marked a historic day in Greenville's law enforcement history. The first female police chief was introduced to the residents of Greenville, at a news conference which was held at Greenville's City Hall. She is Terri Wilfong, assistant police chief in Louisville,KY. Mrs. Wilfong has broken through two important barriers to get the job that she officially begins on March 31st. First, she is the city's first female police chief and she's also the first police chief hired after the city wisely decided to eliminate a process that practically guaranteed that a new chief would come from within the department. She was formally hired by City Manager Jim Bourey who, along with Mayor Knox White and other city officials, are very eager to point out that the process for selecting her involved the police department and the entire community. The current chief, Chief Willie Johnson, is retiring.
City Manager Jim Bourey said, that Mrs. Wilfong "met every criteria we've put out." The qualifications that placed her at the top of the candidates list, according to Mr. Bourey were: Experience in a city with a diverse population and an active downtown with lots of event. A background with a wide range in many aspects of police work. Good communication skills, plus, she's a "cop's cop," as Mr. Bourey called her, she likes to be out on the street.
All of these traits should work well in this diverse community that has a dynamic downtown, many traditional neighborhoods and busy commericial areas, along with all of the challenges associated with area growth and change.
The previous process of selecting a police chief was eliminated by Greenville's City Council. The selection process by which a civil service commission made the choice from inside of the police department. If the citizen's panel reported that it could not find a qualified candidate from within the department, other options would be discussed. Greenville is the last city in the state to select its police chief in this manner. In such a rapidly changing world there should never be a restriction to hire from within an organization.
Mrs. Wilfong is a third-generation cop. She is, also, a wife and mother of police officers. She said that her top priorities included: talking to police officers and getting out into the community to speak with residents to find out exactly what they want from their police department. Mrs. Wilfong has a fresh perspective and wants the support of the community and the entire police department.
