SALISBURY, N.C. — The City of Salisbury has promoted Captain Patrick “P.J.” Smith to Chief of Police for the Salisbury Police Department.
The promotion will effectively take place on July 22.
“After a nationwide search, I am excited to announce Captain Smith as Salisbury’s new Chief of Police,” City Manager Jim Greene said. “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.”
Greene said throughout his tenure with Salisbury, Smith has held various positions within the police department.
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Smith began his career in law enforcement 18 years ago as a Salisbury Police Department 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, according to Greene.
Most recently, Smith held the position of captain over the investigations bureau. There, he supervised the services bureau comprised of seven units including general investigations, violent crimes investigations, vice/narcotics, neighborhood crime abatement team, the crime lab, organizational development, and hiring.
Smith also 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, according to Greene.
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.
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Smith has been a part of the Salisbury community for nearly 50 years. He moved to the area with his family 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.
“I welcome my new role as the new Chief of the Salisbury Police Department,” Smith said. “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.”
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