FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Fort Wayne has a new police chief.
Assistant Chief Stephen Reed was sworn in Monday morning as outgoing Chief Garry Hamilton’s replacement in a special ceremony at Citizens Square.
RELATED: FWPD veteran Reed to be promoted to police chief in August
Hamilton announced in February he was stepping down to take a new position as head of the department’s Community Relations Division, which was an idea Hamilton came up with and pitched to Mayor Tom Henry last October.
RELATED: Fort Wayne Police Chief stepping down
Reed has spent 23 years with the department, and says his priorities will be a renewed focus on the department’s operations division by giving quadrant commanders more resources to combat crime and proactively serve the public, expanding the use of crime analysis to locate concentrations of crime, the types of crimes being committed, and other information that will help craft the most effective response, and enhancing intelligence gathering by partnering with local representatives of federal law enforcement agencies.
Reed also wants to improve community relations through outreach programs and working with neighborhoods to build relationships. The new community relations division will assist in leading this effort.
He’s also calling for a focus on website and social media efforts to enhance services to the public.
