SALEM, Va. – Salem City Manager, Chris Dorsey, has announced who will serve as the Interim Police Chief for the City of Salem as the community bids farewell to retiring Police Chief, Mike Crawley.
Deputy Chief Derek Weeks, 49, will assume the role of interim police chief when Crawley officially retires on June 1. Crawley has served Salem for nearly 25 years.
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“On behalf of the entire city, I want to thank Chief Crawley for his dedicated service to all Salem residents throughout the years,” Dorsey said. “We wish him nothing but the best in his retirement, and I am confident Derek Weeks will continue to uphold the city’s tradition of excellent policing as he leads the force on an interim basis.”
Weeks joined the Salem Police Department as a patrol officer in 2001, and prior to that, he served four years with the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office. In 2006, he transferred to Salem’s Detective Division, and a year later, his peers elected him Salem’s Officer of the Year.
In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and served in that capacity in the Patrol, Services, and Forensics Divisions. In 2015, Weeks was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and he has been Salem’s second in command since February 2016.
“I am excited to serve this department and this community in this capacity,” Weeks said. “Moving forward, my goal is to continue to build on the foundation established by previous administrators who mentored me. We will continue to provide our citizens and visitors with excellent police services.”
A national search is underway to find Salem’s next chief of police.