DAYTON — The Dayton Police Department is looking for a new chief for the first time in five years.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, the police chief may be the highest-visibility and highest-pressure job in most cities, and Dayton is no different.
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The city hasn’t hired a new chief from within the department ranks for almost a quarter of a century.
“I did accept an offer from Greensboro to be their next police Chief,” Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal said.
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He made the announcement on Tuesday, which means the city is now looking for his replacement.
“The chief searching for a different home has been going on for a bit. He was pretty open about it,” Sergeant Kyle Thomas, FOP Local 44 Union President, said.
Thomas said it’s not difficult to list important qualities for a new boss.
“You need somebody that inspires people, that motivates people to work, that makes the workplace a positive place to be, that provides a vision and direction to where we’re going,” he said.
Thomas said the difficult part is finding someone who fits that description.
He believes the new chief must be a leader, not just a manager.
The police department usually has around 350 sworn officers and close to 50 civilian employees.
“So we are starting to put together our thoughts and structure around, you know, how we name the new chief,” Shelley Dickstein, Dayton City Manager, said.
Dickstein will lead the search process.
Afzal served as chief for almost 5 years, since 2021. Before that, Richard Biehl came from Cincinnati and served in Dayton from 2008 to 2021.
The city hasn’t had a chief promoted from within the department for 24 years.
Assistant Chief Eric Henderson has served in Dayton for 26 years and could be one of several internal candidates.
There are sure to be many outside applicants as well.
The bottom line is, “continue to elevate the great work happening in the department,” Dickstein said.
Afzal is expected to start his job in North Carolina on May 13, but that is not the deadline for selecting a new chief.
City leaders have not announced any timeline for their search.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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