DAYTON — Big changes are in store for Dayton Police. In just over a week, current Deputy Chief Eric Henderson will become the department’s new chief.
The current chief, Kamran Afzal, is taking a job in North Carolina.
News Center 7’s Mike Campbell sat down and talked one-on-one with Henderson. He is the first chief promoted within the department in 24 years.
Henderson is understandably proud of that, but also told News Center 7, for a kid who grew up in Dayton to be in this position is still a little surreal. But make no mistake, stresses his experience and believes he’s the right person for the job.
“I’m up for the challenge. I’m ready for the challenge,” Henderson said.
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He told News Center 7 that he’s basically trained his whole career for this moment, and he’s anxious to get started.
“I can tell you, there are three priority areas for me. There’s building trust and transparency, which is No. 1,” Henderson said.
He believes the department has led the way, being more open about briefing the community on critical incidents than many other places. But he believes there is more to do.
“And, just listening, not listening to responds, listening to understand, and then allowing that to influence how we provide service to our community,” Henderson said.
Henderson’s two other priorities are violent crime reduction and taking care of the people of the police department, making sure they are healthy and ready to serve.
He didn’t immediately plan on being chief, but said he simply took advantage of training and educational opportunities, many leading to promotions in a career that spans 27 years.
Henderson helped lead the community through a lot of challenges since being promoted to assistant chief in 2019, a year that included a KKK rally downtown, the Memorial Day tornadoes, and a mass shooting in the Oregon District.
That led into the COVID years and police protests, all steps where he learned what is needed to lead the department.
“Everything has prepared me for today. That’s why I understand, it’s not going to be an easy job, but I’m up for this challenge.
Henderson will be sworn in as Dayton’s new police chief on May 7.
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