Chief of Police

Salary: $70,654 to $73,654

Position Summary:

The Town of Sparta Police Department (SPD) is a proactive organization dedicated to offering high-quality police services to the community with integrity, professionalism, respect, and transparency. Reporting to the Town Manager, the Chief will lead a team of full-time and parttime sworn officers, organized into patrol and investigation units. The department operates with an annual budget of roughly $1.1 million. The Chief is responsible for managing complex
administrative, managerial, and law-enforcement tasks and directing the department’s operations. Key duties include creating policies, managing the annual budget, and actively communicating the department’s goals and initiatives to staff and the community.

Essential Functions:

• Engage thoroughly with staff to understand the department’s culture, needs, challenges, and opportunities before making changes to ensure accountability and capacity growth.
• Communicate openly to establish expectations and channels.
• Assess staffing needs, prioritize professional development, and build a succession pipeline to meet community needs.
• Build rapport with the board and leaders, maintaining visibility, approachability, and accessibility for all stakeholders.
• Evaluate community relationships and establish engagement protocols.
• Ensure effective recruitment to reflect community values.
• Demonstrate strong emotional intelligence, communication skills, balanced leadership, and political awareness.
• Provide clear structure, foster independence and trust, listen well, understand patrol perspectives, and stay current on policies, laws, and political issues.

Requirements:

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, public administration, business administration, or a related field from an accredited university.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive law enforcement experience, or a combination of education and experience, including at least five years in command-level management.
• At least 5 years of managerial experience at a supervisor level or higher.
• Certification as a sworn law enforcement officer by the State of North Carolina or the ability to obtain certification within twelve months of employment.
• A valid North Carolina driver’s license or holding a valid license from another state and being able to obtain a North Carolina license within 60 days of establishing residency, as required by NC law.
• Experience in grant writing, management, and retention.
• Proficient in developing and managing budgets, formulating and applying policies, and implementing progressive policing strategies even with limited budgets
• Possesses expertise in systematically evaluating departmental organization, staffing, resources, and service levels to develop effective strategies that maximize the use of existing assets.
• Builds and sustains partnerships with community groups, the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office, nonprofits, and social services to leverage resources and boost quality of life, keeping the Sparta Police Department involved and vital.
• Is current on evidence-based law enforcement practices (e.g., body cameras, mental health training, use of force) and has a record of evaluating and recommending to ensure departmental effectiveness.
• Uses crime data and metrics to evaluate operations, identify trends, resources, develop benchmarks, and measure policing goals.
• Has experience working within a council-manager government structure and is skilled at managing the complexities of different roles.
• Experienced across patrol, support, investigations, and specialized units.
• An individual with integrity and a proven record of managing relationships to mitigate challenges and maximize opportunities.