New Columbia police chief to be sworn in April 11

Newly selected Columbia police chief Skip Holbrook will be sworn in on April 11, and a public reception is scheduled for the day before at Coble Plaza.

The swearing-in ceremony is set for 11 a.m. on Friday, April 11 in City Council chambers at City Hall, 1737 Main St., city spokeswoman Leshia Utsey said Thursday.

The 49-year-old former chief of the Huntington, W. Va., police department will greet the public on April 10 between 5 and 6:30 p.m. at the plaza named for former mayor Bob Coble, which is located next to EdVenture Children’s Museum.

The riverfront plaza is at the Gervais Street bridge over the Congaree River. The event will be moved to the adjacent Canal Room at EdVenture in case of inclement weather, Utsey said.

Though the public is invited to the City Hall event, the outdoor event was scheduled for those who could not attend the swearing in during the middle of a work day, she said.

Holbrook takes over a roughly 400-officer department racked by turmoil in its leadership that most recently included allegations of misconduct and an abrupt resignation by a chief who said job stress drove him from the position.

Holbrook becomes the department’s ninth leader since 2007.

This story was originally published March 27, 2014 at 10:46 AM with the headline "New Columbia police chief to be sworn in April 11."