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Cville's New Police Chief Preps for August 12

Charlottesville has a new police chief – the first woman to hold the job. 

This is not the first time Chief RaShall Brackney has taken an oath to uphold the law.  She served on Pittsburgh’s police force for 30 years, then became chief of campus police at George Washington University.  Charlottesville, she knows, will pose a special challenge, beginning with distrust of police in the black community.

“What I’m hoping is that we have the opportunity to bridge a gap," she says.  " Law enforcement, we can’t afford to run away from some of the things that have been said about us.”

After making prepared remarks, Brackney – who is African-American --  told reporters she knows what it means to be a minority from a low-income family.

“I grew up with four sisters and I in one bedroom, and eight people had one bathroom,” she recalls.

And she claims to understand the challenge for young black men, noting her doctoral dissertation was on resiliency strategies for young African-American men in violent communities.

She pledged to meet with every officer on every shift and to join the mayor in meeting with residents. She also promised to be ready for the possible return of violent extremists on August 12th.

“No one would be expected to come  in on day one and have this plan.  There are things that are already in motion that I’m going to have to look at and support. Am I up to the task to fully engaging and immersing myself in that process?  Absolutely.”

She said her husband was an asset she would bring to Charlottesville.  Stefan Wheelock is a professor at George Mason and an expert on slavery and the troubles of those descended from slaves.

“I think what we bring  is those every morning conversations about how we  work towards – and I hope I don’t offend anyone – the glory of God in this position.”

Brackney was selected from a list of 169 people who applied for the job. She played down her status as the city’s first female chief of police, saying it was sad that in the 21st century so few women held high posts in law enforcement.  The new chief took the oath from Charlottesville’s female clerk of courts, Llezelle Dugger and was introduced by its female mayor, Nikuya Walker.  

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief