Elizabethtown Police Chief announces upcoming retirement

By Staff Report, posted Mar 6, 2024 on BizFayetteville.com

Elizabethtown Police Chief Tony Parrish. Photo pulled from Town of Elizabethtown website.

The Town of Elizabethtown is announcing the retirement of its Police Chief Tony Parrish, effective June 2024.

“The Town was blessed to have Chief Parrish overseeing our Police Force for the last eight years,” Elizabethtown Mayor Sylvia Campbell said in a press release. “He has served our citizens well by substantially lowering the crime rate and creating a safe community to live, work and play. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Chief Parrish has served 35 years as a law enforcement officer and has been with the Town of Elizabethtown’s Police department since April 2016.

“We are going to miss Chief Parrish’s leadership,” Town Manager Dane Rideout added in a press release. “As Chief, he introduced the use of advanced technology and instituted several programs that enabled our officers to provide high security for our residents and businesses.”

Rideout points out that the Flock Camera system alone has solved numerous crimes and led to arrests, not only in the town but also in surrounding counties.

Parrish began his law enforcement career as a patrol officer in 1988 with the City of Greenville. In 1990, he joined the North Carolina Highway Patrol where he retired as first sergeant, before becoming the Chief in Elizabethtown in 2016.

In a prepared statement, Parish said, “I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the entire department as we saw an overall reduction in violent crime over the past eight years. I firmly believe the groundwork has been laid for continued success in keeping Elizabethtown a safe place to live, work and play.”

According to Rideout, the Town is preparing for Parrish’s retirement and will have a new police chief in place upon his departure. Applications for the position are currently available on the website here.

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