SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Springfield Police Department has a new chief Tuesday night. Ken Scarlette is a 24 year veteran of the force and now will lead the department.
"That's really what I feel my first step is - establish the trust and respect within this organization. And let the men and women know that we support them 100% in their efforts," Scarlette told WAND News just after officially being pinned chief.
Scarlette is no stranger to the department, serving in the administrative services division, then as deputy chief of field operations and most recently as assistant police chief.
"This is the only full time job that I've had. I'm committed to this agency, I'm committed to this city and its my desire to see this department well into the future," Scarlette explained.
While the chief is still developing his road map with senior staff, he plans to hit the ground running tackling gun violence.
"We've had our fair share of gun violence in the city over years past and its going to be our goal that we continue to quell that. And we've done a great job up to this point, so that's a very high priority for me. Community engagement is going to be a high priority as obviously establishing those relationships with the community in non-law enforcement settings will ultimately lead to trust with the community," Scarlette told WAND News.
This includes engaging with community members who may themselves make good officers. The chief said he will look to his ranks to recruit on-the-job as police departments nationwide deal with officers shortages.
"By identifying those individuals that our officers think can do the job- by self recruiting- we think that's the best way to bring in quality candidates to our agency," Scarlette added.
He is hoping together, he can move Springfield police to a bright future.
If you are interested in becoming a Springfield Police officers, click here for more information. Testing will be held Feb. 19, 26 and 28.
