Today, Salisbury City Manager Jim Greene announced the promotion of Salisbury Police Department (SPD) Captain Patrick “P.J.” Smith to police chief, effective Saturday, July 22.
“After a nationwide search, I am excited to announce Captain Smith as Salisbury’s new chief of police,” said Greene. “The selection process was thorough and involved members of the community. We met and interviewed many strong candidates with various backgrounds but ultimately, Captain Smith stood out above the rest. For over 18 years, he has shown his dedication and commitment to Salisbury and our police department. He has built trusting, open relationships as an effective leader. Throughout the selection process, Captain Smith demonstrated his knowledge and qualifications for leading and managing police services. He has a vision to help address and prevent crime, in addition to a desire to increase engagement with community members, businesses, nonprofits and state and local law enforcement partners. I know Captain Smith will make an excellent chief for our city.”
“I welcome my new role as the new Chief of the Salisbury Police Department,” said Smith. “I look forward to working with our officers, growing relationships with other service and law enforcement agencies, and strengthening relationships with our community. Community policing is vital and should be neighborhood-focused using a problem-oriented approach. Building trust between officers and our community will be a priority while using research and technology to reduce crime and improve the quality of life for all citizens in every neighborhood.”
Throughout his tenure with Salisbury, Smith held various positions with ever-increasing leadership responsibilities. He began his career in law enforcement 18 years ago as a SPD patrol officer. In 2009, he was promoted to criminal investigation detective. Five years later, he was elevated to patrol sergeant and then was promoted to lieutenant over the special investigations division in 2018.
Most recently, he held the position of captain over the investigations bureau. There, Smith supervised the services bureau comprised of seven units: general investigations, violent crimes investigations, vice/narcotics, neighborhood crime abatement team, the crime lab, organizational development, and hiring. These units are responsible for specialized investigations that go beyond the routine response of daily operations of the department and require that its personnel have specialized skills and training. In addition to hiring, organizational development is responsible for leading the department’s internal practices and employee career enhancements.
Smith has led various crime reduction strategies throughout his tenure, including increasing community engagement relationships and implementing the Chief Jerry Stokes Crime Information Center. He also managed crime analytics and records division staff.
Before joining the Salisbury Police Department, Smith worked at Salisbury’s Food Lion corporate office from 1990 until 2004. While with Food Lion, he managed retail, distribution, human resources, and procurement.
Smith has been a part of the community for nearly 50 years after his family moved to Salisbury from Greensboro when he was three months old. He and his wife have four children and three grandchildren.
Smith holds a bachelor's degree from Columbia College in criminal justice and will receive his master’s degree in leadership with a concentration in human resource management from Pfeiffer University this December.