City of Reidsville Press Release – July 22, 2014

Hassell named City’s

New Chief of Police

Reidsville’s new Chief of Police has a varied professional background, having worked in both municipal government and the university setting.

Robert A. Hassell is currently Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police & Public Safety at Fayetteville State University, a position he has held since January of 2012. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Police in Hope Mills, North Carolina.

But it was Hassell’s desire to return to a municipal police force that led him to apply for the Chief of Police opening here. That, along with the favorable impression the staff made on him when he served on an assessment team for the City, drew Hassell to Reidsville.

Hassell, 40, will begin his new position on Monday, August 25.

City Manager Michael Pearce commented, “We had 47 applicants from across the country apply for this position. Each of the applicants’ professional and academic backgrounds were checked, they had written and phone interviews on very specific questions to assess job and leadership knowledge and took tests to examine their ability to interact and communicate with others. In every phase of this process, Chief Hassell was at the top of the pile.”

Pearce said he remembered the chief from when he visited Reidsville as a part of the process that brought Chief Dennis to us.

“I was impressed with him then and having the opportunity to spend more time with Chief Hassell only confirmed my opinion that he would be a great fit for Reidsville,” the City Manager added. “His commitment to young people throughout his career was of particular interest to me and I look forward to his leadership being here in our City.”

“It is my deep honor to have been offered the chance to lead this great organization,” said Chief Hassell. “I look forward to working with the officers and staff on improving the level of service to the community we serve. I believe in building strong relationships within all parts of the community and creating partnerships on common interests. As your new Chief, the department will work tirelessly to ensure we collaborate with the community as one to improve the quality of life in Reidsville."

At Fayetteville State University, Hassell oversaw 40 full-time employees and a departmental budget of $1.9 million. His duties included police, investigations, community policing, property security, communications, emergency management and environmental health and safety.

While at Hope Mills from September of 2009 to January of 2012, Hassell’s department included 33 full-time sworn police officers, four auxiliary officers and five full-time support staff. There he handled the day-to-day operations of the police force and managed a $3.5 million annual budget.

Prior to going to Hope Mills, he served as Director of Public Safety/Chief of the Town of Fairmont. He first began his law enforcement career in Kinston where his final rank was Sergeant of the Special Response Unit.

Hassell has a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Mount Olive, where he has also served as an Adjunct Instructor since August of 2009. He has a Master of Public Administration from Central Michigan University and currently is working on his doctorate.

Hassell has all three levels of law enforcement certificate from North Carolina Training and Standards and attended numerous seminars and training sessions on leadership and police-related issues.

He is an active member of the North Carolina Association of Police Chiefs and serves as 2nd Vice President and Chairman of the Legislative Committee. He is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the North Carolina Association of Law Enforcement Executives and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

Hassell will be sworn in as Reidsville’s new Chief of Police at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26, at the Reidsville Police Department.

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