ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke community is ready for change when it comes to addressing violence in the city and now they have a new leader in the police department.
Danville Police Chief Scott Booth will become the Chief of Police for Roanoke City in late October.
“Roanoke: I am looking forward to serving you and making the Star City a safer place for all,” Booth said in a statement sent to 10 News.
Various community leaders were a part of the process to get Booth to come to the star city. FEDUP President, Rita Joyce, was very impressed with Booth during the interviews.
“What I saw in him and the answers he gave really gave me a lot of hope as a new chief. What he did in Danville, he didn’t do it by himself. He did it with a group of people including the community,” Joyce said.
Booth said the job is not quite done in Danville.
“Danville remains a priority for me over the next several weeks. Although my leadership is coming to an end in Danville, I remain committed to ensuring that public safety here remains at the forefront,” Booth said.
Joyce and many other community leaders are excited about the change.
“I think that he knows he’s going to be in the spotlight a lot. He’s going to make sure to say ‘Y’all wanted me, now you got me … I’m going to do what you asked me to do,’ I really believe that,” Joyce said.