RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The City of Richmond has announced that Acting Chief Richard “Rick” Edwards will officially serve as the city’s new police chief.
“I am honored to be selected as the new police chief for The City of Richmond,” Rick Edwards said. “Our goal will be to continue to make the city a safe place for our residents and visitors. I am committed to leading an efficient, well-managed department that is rooted in service to the Richmond community.”
Edwards has nearly 24 years of experience with the department, working in patrol operations, criminal investigations, developing strategies for crime reduction and community engagement.
“After numerous interviews, community surveys, and conversations with partners and stakeholders, Rick stood out among all the applicants,” said Lincoln Saunders, the City of Richmond’s Chief Administrative Officer. “He brings decades of experience to this role and has a solid reputation throughout the region. We are excited about his leadership and his commitment to further improving our community.”
In October 2022, then-Chief Gerald Smith announced his resignation with Edwards taking over as acting chief while the City began a nationwide search for a permanent replacement. Edwards told 8News that his day to day job will likely not change as he transitions from being acting to permanent chief.
“Nothing really changes except for the first time in probably two and a half years, I’ll have an actual title that doesn’t have acting in front of it,” Edwards said.
The City began working with POLIHIRE in March 2023 to find a replacement for Smith. On April 4, 2023, it became a public job listing. A panel of nine local leaders was assembled for job interviews in July 2023.
Panelists included:
- Michael Jones (City Council President)
- Sabrina Joy-Hogg (Deputy CAO)
- Maggie Anderson (Mayor’s Chief of Staff)
- Tyrome Alexander (HR Director)
- James Millner (RVA PRIDE)
- James Minor (NAACP)
- Carl Scott (RCOP)
- Dr. William Pelfrey (VCU)
- Pastor Robert Winfree
Following the interview process, the panel unanimously agreed Edwards was the right choice for the position. A spokesperson said the panel found Edwards to be “very well prepared” with a “strong desire to lead the police force.”
Edwards told 8News that one of his main priorities is to address staffing issues within the department. In April, RPD was down 165 officers, which was starting to impact emergency response times.
“The first thing that is on my agenda is to continue to build back our department,” Edwards said. “After 2020 we lost a lot of officers and we’re still in the process to get those officers back and find the new people. one of the things that we’re really excited about is we’ve been able to get some of our recently retired officers who still want to serve and get them back in positions where they can be productive for our city.”
Aside from handling staffing shortages, Edwards plans to work on tackling crime and building up community relationships.
“We’re going to stick with a plan and do what the Richmond Police Department does best, which is, you know, continue to fight crime as we can and make sure that we’re having a great relationship with our community,” Edwards said.
