Position Closes February 20, 2026

If you are a law enforcement executive who identifies with and is energized by joining an internationally accredited police department that values Faith, Pride and Dedication, then the City of Fayetteville, NC Police Department invites you to apply to serve as its next Assistant Chief of Police (ACOP). The ACOP is responsible for implementing programs, giving orders and direction while ensuring compliance, accountability, and excellence among departmental personnel.

The next ACOP has a track record of leading departments and divisions through seasons of changes – bridging connections through differences and building morale and unity among staff. As the demographics of the City change thus creating new community issues and the City expands its footprint and adds additional territory, this ACOP will ensure adequate patrol coverage in response to the impact of these changes while also ensuring that personnel are trained, equipped, and prepared to respond to these impending changes and issues.

Known as a highly effective mentor and coach, the ideal law enforcement professional has knowledge of HR regulations and practices with demonstrable experience building and nurturing a culture of continuous development. The Chief seeks a confident, competent, and charismatic leader – someone who will motivate and inspire the department, actively listen to, and respond to personnel concerns and embrace opportunities to engage with the diverse community members of Fayetteville. The ACOP demonstrates passion for the mission of the department to improve quality of life by creating a safe and secure environment for the community members through FAITH in service, PRIDE in commitment and DEDICATION to excellence.

The next ACOP will join in the department’s commitment to always act with integrity to reduce crime, create partnerships, and build trust while treating everyone with respect, compassion, and fairness. The next ACOP takes initiative, exercising independence in decision making and problem solving yet is keenly aware to utilize resources and involve others in the process when appropriate. In times of crisis, the ACOP remains calm and diligent, communicating thoroughly and professionally to educate the community on the department’s approach and responses to crisis and prioritizes transparent communication internally with staff.
About the Community:
Few places in America have played such a formative role in our country’s most defining moments as Fayetteville, from its original settlement in 1739 by Scottish immigrants from the highlands of Scotland arriving via the Cape Fear River, through the deployment of troops to Afghanistan and Iraq today. It is here the very seeds of American freedom, democracy and patriotism were planted and continue to grow.
The City of Fayetteville with a population of more than 208,000 community members is the 6th largest city and 5th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. Recognized for innovation, leadership and excellence, and a two-time All-America City award winner, the City of Fayetteville is America’s Can Do City. Fayetteville offers the amenities of a sizable city, including historic sites, seven museums, three colleges and universities, multiple entertainment venues, a historic downtown and award-winning recreation amenities.
Fayetteville is the county seat for Cumberland County (pop. 326,328) and is one of nine municipalities within the county. Fayetteville is the proud home of Fort Bragg, one of the largest military installations in the world and headquarters for U.S. Army Forces Command, XVIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army Reserve Command and U.S. Army Special Operations Command. With an active-duty population of over 51,000 troops, the strong military presence offers significant economic development potential and growth.
Demographically, the community members of Fayetteville are 43% white, 43% African American, 13% Hispanic/Latino, 7% two or more races and less than 1% Native Hawaiian, Native American, Asian, or other races. As of 2020, the median household income in Fayetteville was $46,321.

Located in North Carolina's Sandhills region, residents enjoy a pleasant climate with distinct seasons. Fayetteville and the surrounding counties include scenic rivers, lakes and other recreation areas, as well as world-renowned golf courses that host major tournaments. Fayetteville is two hours from the North Carolina coast and four hours from the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
There are three colleges and universities in Fayetteville. Fayetteville State University is a historically black university (HBCU) and a part of the University of North Carolina System, offering more than 60 programs of study at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral levels. Methodist University is a private university that was established by the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. Methodist University offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 80 fields of study and six graduate degrees. Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) is a member of the North Carolina Community College System, offering more than 250 programs of study leading to the award of associate degree, certificate or diploma.
One of Fayetteville’s greatest assets is its thriving downtown area and the vibrant arts and cultural community. From theaters to museums for adults and children, there is something available downtown for everyone. The Airborne and Special Operations Museum honors the City’s unique connection to our service members. A variety of festivals and special events are held throughout the year in downtown and across the City. A revitalized downtown area, complete with retail shops and dining establishments is bringing forth additional growth spurred by the $40 million baseball stadium serving as home to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, an Astros affiliate, and Class-A Advance baseball team. Surrounding the stadium is the revitalized historic Prince Charles, offering 59 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments. Investment and expansion opportunities will continue to rise as Fayetteville experiences growth. Learn more about the opportunities in Fayetteville here and get a taste of what a weekend is like in Fayetteville by watching this short video.
About the Organization, Department and Position:
The City of Fayetteville operates under a council-manager form of government. The City has more than 1,600 full-time and 300 part-time seasonal employees working across 19 departments with an annual operating budget of more than $249M across all funds.
The City’s core values of RESPECT (Responsibility, Ethics, Stewardship, Professionalism, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Commitment, and Teamwork) are the basis for actions and decisions. They are the compass for accomplishing the City’s mission, vision, and objectives. The city has dedicated resources to transparency and accountability for meeting City goals and objectives through the Office of Strategic Performance Analytics and a strategic planning process that engages the community proactively. The most current annual 2022 Strategic Plan (COF should have the most recent strategic plan) can be found here.
The City prides itself on community engagement and offers multiple ways for the community to become involved and stay informed from 26 Advisory Boards and Commissions, to state-of-the-art communication tools such as the cable and streaming FayTV government access channel, social media, podcasts and community surveys. The city earns numerous awards and recognitions at both the department level and nationally for its efforts. Explore more about the City of Fayetteville here.

The Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) is internationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. The department was first accredited in 1989 and is now a full-service law enforcement agency with more than 600 sworn and civilian employees.
Reporting to the newly appointed Chief of Police, who has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles at the federal, municipal and state level, the ACOP supports the Chief in the management of the department’s $70M+ budget and a team of 495 sworn and 261 professional staff employees including 911 Communications. The FPD is currently organized into three primary components: Office of the Chief, Field Operations Bureau and the Specialized Services Bureau. The Field Operations Bureau is comprised of Patrol Operations, which is divided into three (3) districts: Campbellton, Central and Cross Creek and Investigations. The Specialized Services Bureau is comprised of (now assigned to the Chief’s Staff Unit) & Grant Management, Communications, Records Management, Technical Services, Fleet Management, Traffic Support, Community Resource Division and Training and Recruitment.
The department’s strategic plan reflects the department’s mission, values, principles, goals and strategies to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in Fayetteville. Outdated and we are working directly with the newly formed Office of Community Safety.
The next ACOP must understand the areas of the FPD and will support the Chief in implementing the department’s vision to serve as a premier law enforcement agency that is invested in the growth and safety of the community through innovation and a balanced approach to Law Enforcement. Demonstrating impeccable communication and interpersonal skills, the next ACOP will strengthen the department’s relationship with the City Council – building connection and allegiance while remaining committed to advocating for the department and its personnel.
Key Position Priorities:
● Leading a young department with approximately 50% of sergeants having served less than 2 years, build a staff development and succession plan that develops internal personnel to be future leaders, positively impacts retention and prepares the department for succession planning.
● Leverage resources to support the department and its staff while addressing core issues and advocating for solutions related to staffing levels, compensation, training, and work factors that have impacted morale so that all employees feel valued, supported, and have the bandwidth to engage with the community as expected to solve community issues proactively rather than reactively.
● This now all falls under the City of Fayetteville’s Office of Community Safety. The department has a Major who currently serves at the liaison between the PD and OCS.
● Improve communication across the chain of command while uniting staff to value, support and execute the Chief’s mission for the department.
● Design a multi-jurisdictional operations plan which addresses and outlines the department’s response to community events and situations such as protests, threats, and presidential campaign visits.

Qualifications:
The City of Fayetteville seeks a law enforcement leader with any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be to have at least 5 years of cross-functional and progressively responsible leadership experience including administrative and command work at rank of Captain or higher; Equivalent to a BA/BS degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in police science, law enforcement administration, criminal justice, or related field. Executive law enforcement training (e.g. FBI National Academy, SMIB, FBI LEEDA, Administrative Officers Management Program, etc.) is preferred. Evidence of collaboration across public safety disciplines is required. Possession of an appropriate valid NC driver’s license and ability to maintain insurability is required or the ability to obtain a valid NC driver’s license within 60 days of relocating to NC.
● Transfers: In-state candidates may transfer their law enforcement officer certification to another agency in NC provided he/she has less than a 12-month break in service at time of appointment. In-state candidates with less than a three-year break in NC service may receive partial credit toward basic law enforcement training. Out of state candidates who are serving or have served as a local or state law enforcement officer must have successfully completed a basic law enforcement training course accredited by the state from which they are transferring and cannot have a break in full-time service exceeding three years at the time of appointment. Individuals with Federal law enforcement officer certification who have not had a break in service exceeding three years at the time of appointment may receive partial credit toward NC basic law enforcement training. NC does recognize and give partial credit for military police (MP) training if the candidate has completed a formal military basic training program and been awarded a military police occupational specialty rating and has served as a military police officer for not less than two of the five years preceding the date of appointment.

The Successful Candidate is:
● a transparent leader who eliminates silos, delegates effectively without micromanaging and fosters a collaborative work culture;
● skilled in developing trust among members of the community and the police department while leveraging opportunities for collaborative problem solving and partnerships;
● able to demonstrate personal responsibility and leadership initiative that led to crime reduction and strong community relationships in current or past positions;
● an individual with impeccable integrity and a proven record of consistency in managing both internal and external relationships to mitigate challenges and maximize opportunities;
● a leader who “walks the talk” on community-oriented policing strategies and initiatives both with staff and the community;
● experienced working in a council-manager form of government and has expert skills in navigating the complexities of varying roles (e.g. need for building relationships, educating Council, clear communication, ensuring mutual trust);
● experienced across functional areas such as accreditation, patrol, support investigations, crisis units or other specialized units;
● consistently updating personal knowledge regarding public policy, public perception and law enforcement trends and ensuring that knowledge is shared with stakeholders (e.g. Intelligence-Led Policing, Eight Can’t Wait, 21st Century Policing, Community Engagement and Involvement, pilot programs for non-LE response teams, management of protests);
● skilled in budget development and management, policy development and application, progressive policing strategies and maintenance of effective service levels despite resource constraints;
● appreciative of the significance of diversity within all aspects of the department and community and has developed innovative solutions to attracting, retaining and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion;
● an outstanding communicator verbally and in writing with well-developed interpersonal skills and abilities who effectively and proactively communicates internally and externally; and,
● goal oriented, possessing high standards of self and others, thriving in a culture of high-performance expectations and personal accountability.

Salary and Benefits: The anticipated hiring range is $110,000-$143,500. Salary will be determined based on experience and credentials. The City of Fayetteville offers a comprehensive benefits package, including the outstanding NC Local Government Retirement system with vesting after 5 years. There is a residency requirement to live within the city limits of Fayetteville or move within city boundaries within 12 months of appointment to this position.

To apply, please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/developmentalassociates and click on the Assistant Chief of Police – City of Fayetteville, NC title. To learn more about the selection process, visit https://developmentalassociates.com/client-openings/, select “Client Openings” and scroll down to “Important Information for Applicants.” All applications must be submitted online via the Developmental Associates application portal – NOT the City Employment Application portal, nor any other external website; it is not sufficient to send only a resume. Resumes and cover letters must be uploaded with the application. Applicants must apply by February 20, 2026. Successful semi-finalists will be invited to participate in virtual interviews and skill evaluation on March 19-20, 2026. Candidates are encouraged to reserve these dates for virtual meetings should they be invited to participate. All inquiries should be emailed to hiring@developmentalassociates.com. The City of Fayetteville is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The recruitment and selection process are being managed by Developmental Associates, LLC.