Lexington to hire national firm to lead search for new police chief

Written in association with The Rockbridge Report, read the article here.

The city of Lexington plans to select a headhunting firm by the end of the week to help fill its police chief vacancy.

City Manager Tom Carroll said the city received over 10 proposals from firms since the end of August.

He said Lexington plans to choose a firm Friday, Sept. 26. He said the city’s choice of a firm will begin work as soon as a contract is finalized.

The city expects to pay anywhere between $15,900 and $45,000 for the search. Carroll said the price range comes from the proposals the city has already received, with each firm quoting a different price for its services.

He said the cost of the contract will be covered by using funds saved from unfilled positions elsewhere in city government.

“The next chief is out there, we just need to find him or her,” Carroll said.

The city manager said officials want to complete the search by the end of the year. While the city manager makes the appointment, Lexington’s charter requires City Council to approve the hire.

The vacancy occurred when former Chief Angela Greene left in early August to join the Virginia Attorney General’s Office in its Organized Retail Crime Unit.

Greene served in larger departments in Portsmouth and Richmond before taking over the Lexington Police Department in 2021. She was the city’s first female police chief and its first woman of color. She is also the third full-time chief to leave in the last decade. Carroll said Greene left in good standing and remains a “friend of the city.”

Council Member Marylin Alexander said Greene brought high-level skills from her prior experience, but the transition to a smaller agency may have been difficult. “Surely the dynamics of such a difference in sizes had to be an adjustment for anyone,” Alexander said.

Greene did not respond to several requests for comment.

Lexington appointed Interim Chief AJ Panebianco on Aug. 11 to lead the department during the search for a new chief. Panebianco is a former chief in Buena Vista and Middleburg and has since worked as a consultant and interim chief for other departments across Virginia.

“I do these gigs as temporary assignments when communities need stability, and I try to leave behind a department that’s better positioned for the next leader,” he said.

He said morale was low when he arrived in Lexington because officers had just lost another leader.

“It’s a good department. It needs some stabilizing,” he said.

Lt. Jessica Burks, who was recently promoted, said morale has slowly started to improve since Panebianco joined the department.

“It doesn’t change overnight,” she said. “It’s about building mutual trust and respect, and that takes time.”

Staffing is also a major challenge, Panebianco said. The department is authorized for 19 sworn officers.

But four positions are vacant. Two additional officers are in the academy and not yet cleared to work. That leaves 13 officers who are qualified to patrol on their own, he said.

As a result, Lexington is operating with only about two-thirds of the officers it should have on the street.

Even though police departments everywhere are struggling, most are doing better than Lexington. Nationally, departments average about 91% of their budgeted officer positions filled, according to a 2024 survey by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

To help stabilize leadership, Carroll waived “time-in-rank” requirements. Typically, officers must spend a certain number of years in their current rank before becoming eligible for promotion. The waiver allowed Carroll to promote several officers, including Burks, sooner.

More staffing changes are coming later this year with the retirement of Capt. Ron Condry, Panebianco said.

Burks said officers have stayed focused on their responsibilities.

“Our mission doesn’t change,” she said. “Our daily activities don’t change, and our passion doesn’t change.”