Colonel Steve Sellers is announcing his retirement as Albemarle County Police Chief effective June 1, 2016, bringing to a close 5 ½ years of service leading the department.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my 34 years as a police officer and I’ve been blessed to spend my last 5 ½ years in Albemarle County with you,” Sellers said as he announced his retirement to his staff on Wednesday afternoon.
Sellers arrived at the Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) in January of 2011 after a very successful career with the Fairfax County Police Department, where he held the number two post as Deputy Chief of Police at the time of his departure from that agency.
Sellers has implemented significant innovative enforcement approaches and organizational changes within ACPD and forged meaningful and productive community partnerships, and his hope is that the community and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors finds the department to be better than when he arrived.
“The shift from a response-driven police model to the Police Service Area model of community policing (Geo-Policing) would not have been possible without the hard work of my employees and your strong support of my staffing and resource needs,” Sellers said in his retirement letter to County Executive Tom Foley.
“It is with very mixed emotions that I accept Colonel Sellers’ retirement letter, said Mr. Foley. “During his time as our police chief, Steve has been an inspiring and dedicated leader who has earned the trust and respect of citizens, community partners and his County staff colleagues by acting with integrity and a complete focus on the best interests of our community. We appreciate his excellent service and wish him the very best in his future endeavors – he will truly be missed.” Foley explained that planning is already underway for a nationwide search for Sellers’ replacement which will be handled through the County Executive’s Office.
In the meantime, there are four very large and important projects Sellers plans to see through to completion before he leaves his post in June. They include the opening of the new Firearms Training Facility, the activation of the new Computer Aided Dispatch system, the rollout of the new Records Management System, and a total overhaul of ACPD’s policy manual.
Sellers and his wife plan to remain in the county after retirement. Sellers looks forward to spending more time with his nine grandchildren, pursuing professional consulting possibilities and spending time on woodworking, volunteering and fishing. He is looking forward to being at the service of Albemarle County in a civilian role.
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