The city of Asheville has chosen William Anderson to head the Asheville Police Department. Anderson, currently the police chief of Greenville, will begin the job March 1.
“William has a proven track record of leadership in the areas we heard were most important to our community, our employees and our strategic partners. He has a wealth of experience in tackling the challenges that come with being the police chief in a diverse and dynamic community” City Manager Gary Jackson asserts in the official announcement. “I am confident he is capable of taking the department to the next level.”
Anderson is also quoted as saying “My family and I are thrilled to relocate to Asheville. The Asheville police department is well known and respected throughout the state and I am excited about the opportunity to lead the department.”
A report from the Greenville Daily Reflector broke the news before the city’s official announcement
The Reflector quotes an announcement from Greenville City Manager Wayne Bowers confirming the pick and thanking Anderson for his service.
The city has conducted a search for a new police chief since the retirement of Bill Hogan last May, amid controversy over guns, drugs and money missing from the evidence room as well as a $52,000 sexual harassment settlement involving an APD officer.
The city claims that Anderson’s selection comes at the end of a process involving over 109 applicants and extensive assessment.
Anderson took the top job in Greenville in 2006. He had previous stints as a police commander in Daytona, Fla. and police chief in Elizabeth City and Deland, Fla. Anderson drew praise from Bowers for his tenure in Greenville and an editorial in Elizabeth City’s Daily Advance cited him as an “effective department head whose experience and expertise had a positive effect on local crime-fighting” who ended a period of “widespread internal turmoil, poor morale and a loss of credibility in the eyes of the public.”
However, Anderson’s career hasn’t all been praise. He resigned as Deland’s chief in 2002 “amid a flurry of turmoil that has plagued this city’s police department for three years,” according to a piece in the Orlando Sentinel. Controversy during Anderson’s tenure there included allegations of racism and mismanagement.
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