Lexington Names New Police Chief
March 15, 2010 | Virginia News
A 20-year veteran of the Lynchburg Police Department was named the new police chief in Lexington last Thursday.
Alfred S. Thomas Jr. has accepted the offer of City Manager Jon Ellestad to succeed Steve Crowder as the city’s police chief, according to a statement released by Ellestad March 11.
Thomas will assume his new duties April 5. Lt. A.M. “Bucky” Miller has been acting police chief since Crowder retired at the end of the year. Thomas has held the rank of captain and chief staff officer in the Lynchburg department. He has also been the administrative division commander and the captain of the South Division during his time with the department. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Averett University and is a graduate of the Professional Executive Leadership School at the University of Richmond and the Administrative Officer Management Program at North Carolina State University. Ellestad said both the panel of chiefs (five police chiefs from across the state) and the citizens panel were “very impressed with Mr. Thomas’ leadership skills, proven commitment to the integration of the police department in the fabric of the community and to his personal commitment to the community. “I believe that Mr. Thomas will be an excellent chief for our department and the community as a whole,” Ellestad continued. “He brings a wealth of skills and experiences to Lexington that can help lead an already excellent department to even greater heights.” Thomas’s wife, Dorothy, supervises the Employment Services Unit of the Lynchburg Social Services Department, and they have two children, Malcolm, 15, and Meghan, 12. Source: The News-Gazette
