FORSYTH, Ga. — The City of Forsyth has been without a police chief for 4 months. In August, their former chief of 30+ years, Eddie Harris, stepped down.
This Monday, Woodrow Blue started the job.
Blue has worked in law enforcement for 43 years, and he has served as police chief for 38. He last served in Donalsonville, but work has taken him to Milledgeville, East Point, and Hahira.
He says he plans to end his career in Forsyth.
"We like the area. We have spent time in middle Georgia being in Milledgeville. Both my kids and my grandkids are here and we just wanted to be back closer to them," he says, referencing his wife.
He is widely known for being Police Chief in Milledgeville back in 2010 when his department handled the Ben Roethlisberger case.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a bar.
The case attracted national attention, but the district attorney said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute.
"It was handled the best way it could at that time. Like I said, it was a learning experience," says Blue.
He now sets his focus on making a difference in Forsyth. One of his goals is to support community policing.
"They'll see officers more, we'll do more business walkthroughs. We'll just be a lot more involved in the community," he says.
Increased community involvement is one way he plans to fix their staffing shortages.
"Doing more than just advertising in the newspaper or on our Facebook. Getting out and talking to people about the rewards of working in law enforcement," he says.
He says he also wants to creating a trusting and transparent environment.
Overall, Blue wants people to know that he is a man of the community, he loves interacting with folks, and hearing from the people he serves, which is how he plans to spend his first week -- meeting people.
He says you can trust that he won't be just sitting behind his desk.
When asked why he thinks he was selected among the 20 other applicants, he says he believes his communication skills and ability to work with people is what set him apart.
"I was born to to this," he adds..
Blue says his first major activity as chief is the "Shop With a Cop" Christmas event that was held Wednesday night.
The city says his salary is $86,650.