‘I won’t let you down’; Holbrook pledges to bring stability to Columbia Police Department

William “Skip” Holbrook will be sworn in as Columbia’s next police chief in April, but he already has started work on a five-year strategic plan for the department.

Holbrook was introduced by city manager Teresa Wilson during a Friday ceremony on the front steps of the Columbia Police Department headquarters in the Vista. Columbia City Council members stood behind them as a nearly four-month, and often contentious, search came to an end.

Holbrook, who has been chief of the Huntington, W.Va., Police Department since 2007, acknowledged the department’s troubled past in his speech but pledged to bring lasting solutions that the city and officers can support. He twice paused to hold back tears as he addressed an audience of police officers, community leaders and the media.

“I pride myself on being a cop,” Holbrook said. “I won’t let you down.”

Holbrook will be paid $121,500 per year, about $6,000 more than the job originally advertised for. His benefits package includes moving and relocation expenses, travel and transportation, transitional living expenses and home-buying and home-selling assistance. He will receive the standard employee insurance package for health insurance and retirement benefits. He also will receive a city car.

Holbrook’s deal with the city also includes a severance package. Should Holbrook be forced to leave, he would receive four months’ salary, plus moving expenses, Wilson said.

Holbrook will be sworn in April 11. First, he must attend the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy to receive some certifications specific to the state.

Holbrook’s introduction ends Wilson’s search, which began in November. She used a five-person committee to go through applications and resumes. That group whittled the finalists to five men. Four of those visited Columbia for three-day interviews.

Then, Wilson began doing more homework on her top picks.

She told the audience on Friday that she traveled to Huntington, where she met with the city’s mayor, the Marshall University president and neighborhood leaders to talk about Holbrook’s leadership.

“On my way home from West Virginia, it became very apparent to me what was the right thing to do,” she said.

She said Holbrook had the right temperament and work ethic.

“We’re going to embrace an era of integrity and leadership in this department,” she said.

Mayor Steven Benjamin, who had wanted Wilson to use a national search firm, said he was proud the process had worked out and told Holbrook the council was behind him. Benjamin said he knows the Huntington mayor, who was “bullish on his chief.”

“We won big today,” Benjamin said.

While Holbrook won’t officially be chief for another few weeks, he said he already has started planning goals for the Columbia department. He has begun drafting a five-year strategic plan but will seek input from officers, City Council and the community. He also plans to install a 90-day operational plan to guide the department while the strategic plan is being developed.

The plan will include goals for areas such as information technology and community-oriented policing, he said.

“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “It needs to be their plan, our plan and the plan of the citizens.”

Holbrook has his work cut out. And he knows it.

“During the process, it became clear to me what a challenge this job would be,” he said. “It’s the opportunity of a career.”

Holbrook will be the ninth person to lead the Columbia Police Department since 2007. The most recent chiefs left amid questionable circumstances, and the department has been reeling from a federal and state investigation into corruption allegations against the former interim chief and a former captain.

“You can’t unring the bell,” Holbrook said during a press conference. “We certainly know what we don’t need to see happen again. There won’t be any hidden agendas, any cloak and dagger secrecy about what we do. You’ll never see that happen on my watch.”

Holbrook must figure out how to restore officer morale and move the department past the scandal. He also must learn to navigate the city’s political environment, with City Council members being criticized for years for meddling in police department affairs.

During a Friday press conference, Holbrook expressed a willingness to work with council, pointing out that he had managed to get along with three mayors in Huntington, which, unlike Columbia, has a strong-mayor form of government.

“It’s all about balance and respect,” he said.

But Holbrook said council should not expect him to always tell them what they want to hear.

“I’ll tell them how it is and deal in facts,” he said.

Already, Wilson has changed the chain of command for the police department. Holbrook will report directly to her rather than assistant city manager Allison Baker, who has been the immediate supervisor of the police chief.

Councilman Cameron Runyan, who was the harshest critic of Wilson’s search and who attempted a last-minute effort to hand the police department to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, said he looked forward to breakfast with Holbrook. Runyan said he had spoken to people in West Virginia who worked with Holbrook and they “sang his praises.”

“We need him to succeed,” Runyan said.

Council needs to work with Holbrook and Wilson to “set the target and then get out of his way and let him do his job. If we don’t do that, it won’t work,” Runyan said.

Community members hope Runyan and the rest of council stick to that promise.

Walter Marks, a Wales Garden resident who served on the community stakeholders committee that interviewed the candidates, said he had been impressed with Holbrook throughout the search, which included interviews with people from various neighborhood and business associations.

Marks believes the framework is in place for Holbrook to succeed if everyone else stays in their lanes of responsibility.

“If they let him do his job, we won’t be here again in four more years,” Marks said.

About William “Skip” Holbrook

Age: 49

Hometown: Huntington, W.Va.

Family: Wife, Michelle; three children, ages 21, 19 and 10

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Marshall University; MBA, Pfeiffer University

Background: Chief of Huntington, W.Va., Police Department since 2007

Began career in 1987 as officer with the Charlotte Police Department. Left in 1992 to work as special agent with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation. Was assistant special agent in charge of bureau’s Charlotte office when he left in 2003.

Before becoming Huntington’s chief, took three-year break from law enforcement career to run a real estate development company.

Accomplishments: Led Huntington’s department to be named Law Enforcement Agency of the Year in 2011 and 2012 by U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia. Awarded 2011 public service award from U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia. Named in 2009 as law enforcement officer of the year by the West Virginia Association for Justice. Named 2001 district agent of the year by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation. Recognized in 2011 in North Carolina for his work on a Greensboro kidnapping case and victim rescue. Received 1991 Medal of Merit from the Charlotte Police Department for his actions in apprehending an armed suspect after the fatal shooting of a police officer.

Comparing Columbia, Huntington police departments

Size

CPD: 460 officers and civilian staff

HPD: 111 officers and civilian staff

Budget

CPD: $32 million

HPD: $12 million

Chief’s salary

CPD: $121,500

HPD: $70,000

City population

Columbia: 132,000

Huntington: 50,000

COMING SUNDAY

Holbrook tackled drug-infested neighborhood, won hearts of residents.

This story was originally published March 21, 2014 at 11:28 AM with the headline "‘I won’t let you down’; Holbrook pledges to bring stability to Columbia Police Department."