Covering the Land of Lincoln

Virginia hires new police chief

VIRGINIA — A new police chief soon will be making the rounds in Virginia after the city council hired Eric Shumate.

A start date for Shumate, former Thomasboro police chief and retired Champaign County Sheriff’s Department deputy, hasn’t been established.

“I’m in the process of finding a house and don’t know when I’ll officially start,” Shumate said. “Once I find a place to live, I’ll get in there and see what needs doing.”

Shumate said he is looking forward to continuing to police in a small community.

While with the sheriff’s department, he had a large coverage area that made more community-oriented policing difficult, he said, noting that working in a small town will allow him more familiarity with people in the community.

“I look forward to being more personable with everyone,” Shumate said. “I look forward to getting out to the businesses and learning about the area. When you are with a larger department, people tend to see you as a badge and uniform, not as a person.”

He also is looking forward to working with other departments in the area, he said.

“I like in these smaller counties how departments tend to depend on each other and work together,” Shumate said.

Mayor Randy McClure said he is looking forward to Shumate starting.

“We did a background check through the county and everything came back all right,” McClure said. “That’s something we didn’t do with the last one.”

McClure said Shumate has a lot of experience to bring to the community.

Shumate was with Champaign County Sheriff’s Department for 24 years before he retired.

“I never planned to get back into law enforcement” but took a job in Thomasboro, where he was police chief for two years, he said.

His position was terminated earlier this year, though Thomasboro President Tyler Evans told The News-Gazette in Champaign that the firing was not because of any wrongdoing on Shumate’s part.

Shumate said being let go in Thomasboro seemed to be for financial reasons.

Before he gets too far into his plans for the Virginia department, Shumate wants to familiarize himself with the department and community, he said.

“Like I did in Thomasboro, I’ll likely spend several weeks doing audits, seeing what equipment is needed, reviewing policies, seeing what needs updated,” Shumate said. “I’ll have to get registered in all their systems and learn the dispatching system.”

He said he’ll also have to address staffing.

The community’s law enforcement needs now are being covered by Cass County Sheriff’s Department.

“They have a few people for me to talk to about some part-time positions,” Shumate said. “Staffing is going to depend on the budget and grants available.”

Comments are closed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More