Lynchburg native Ronnie Lewis, Jr., is returning to the area to serve the town of Bedford as their new police chief.
The Town of Bedford swore Lewis into office Monday morning with his family and friends in attendance.
After his son and wife pinned on his badge, he said it still hasn't sunk in that he is officially chief but that he is honored to serve the community.
Lewis says he already has ideas on what he wants to do first, which includes focusing on the new police building.
"One of the first things I’ll do is develop a committee to make sure that everyone has representation on what’s going to go into the new police station. Those are some of my biggest early challenges," Lewis said.
He also plans on reviewing current policies to make sure they match the department's culture and added he'll be focusing on building relationships between the department and the community.
For his first 30 days, he is going to spend his time doing ride-alongs with officers and shadowing those in the department. He says this will help him build the foundation for his team.
He began his career with the Lynchburg Fire Dept., serving as a Law Enforcement Deputy Fire Marshal -- in addition to his work as a firefighter and EMT. He also worked as a deputy sheriff in Loudoun County.
Most recently, Cpt. Lewis directly supervised the Fairfax Police Dept.'s patrol division.