WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Tuesday, Roy Whitehead started his position as Warner Robins' new long-term Interim Chief of Police. He holds the second interim position since Chief John Wagner retired in October.
After Wagner's retirement, Captain Wayne Fisher filled in for three months as a short-term interim.
In a news release, Mayor LaRhonda Patrick says they brought in Whitehead as long-term interim to bring an outsider perspective in selecting a permanent chief.
Whitehead served as chief of police in Summerville, South Carolina, and in 2021, he retired as chief of the Snellville Police Department.
The Georgia Bulldog, originally from Athens, says he's excited to have landed in Warner Robins.
"Warner Robins is basically the 11th largest city in Georgia. It's a bigger department than I've been associated with before, and it's an opportunity that I wanted to take advantage of," says Whitehead.
For the next six to eight months, Whitehead plans to build partnerships in the city.
"All I want to do is build on the professionalism and the relationships in this community, build the community, and make it a great environment for this building and this community," says Whitehead.
Whitehead says he also recognizes the need for staffing. With 135 positions, they have 32 openings. The interim chief before him was working on a part-time patrol program.
Whitehead says there are still logistics to work out before that can happen, but it's needed.
"When you have the number of openings that we have, we need to augment our staff as much as we possibly can, and that's certainly one way to do it," adds Whitehead.
City Councilman Clifford Holmes Jr. says their only expectation for Whitehead is to protect the citizens.
"This is my 14th year on council, and we are beginning to have problems that we didn't have in Warner Robins," says Holmes
Holmes adds that finding a permanent fit won't be a quick.
"This person is representing the city, the entire city, and all of the officials in the city, the police department, and all of those offices, so we want to make sure we have someone good," he says.
With 50 years in law enforcement and a good recommendation from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Holmes says they trust Whitehead will be a great asset in the upcoming months.