Winter Park names Vernon Hale new police chief

Winter Park has chosen its new police chief.

City Spokesperson Clarissa Howard told the Observer that Winter Park has found their new police chief in Dallas Police Department Narcotics Division Deputy Chief Vernon Hale, who was interviewed last week and accepted the job offer.

Assuming that the Winter Park City Commission confirms the selection during their Aug. 22 meeting, Hale will start at the Winter Park Police Department on Oct. 3.

“I’m certainly excited,” Hale said. “It’s a great opportunity to work with some great people. It looks like a beautiful town, so I’m just looking forward to learning from the city leadership as I grow as a person and a police officer.”

Hale added that he will bring a new perspective to the Winter Park Police Department, pulling from his years of experience working in the eighth largest police department in the country.

“I have a history of community engagement and crime reduction, which I believe I can continue to do there,” Hale said. “They do an excellent job already…I’ll continue to grow those philosophies.”

“I want to thank the city leadership for giving me the opportunity, coming from an outside agency, coming from a different state and giving me that opportunity to learn and grow and offer something to that community there. I look forward to the festivals and enjoying the lakes, so I’m excited. If the opportunity comes, I think we’ll have some fun together.”

Hale has served as deputy chief for the Dallas Police Department since 2010, assuming operational command over all narcotics and vice undercover detectives in 2014. He served as a lieutenant from 2002 to 2010 and received his master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of North Texas in 2003.

“From the day I saw his resume, he immediately rose to one of the top candidates,” City Manager Randy Knight said. “He’s just a very impressive individual. Very confident. Very knowledgeable with a 24-year career in the Dallas Police Department.”

“His leadership skills came across very strongly and he’s a cop’s cop. He’s not just somebody that was in administration his whole life. He’s been on the street. He’s been in tough parts of town and rich parts of town. He’s done it all and excelled at every level.”

Knight added that Hale was already being considered for the position before the tragic shooting of Dallas police officers on July 7. Knight said he admired how Hale conducted himself even in the wake of such tragedy in his own department.

Hale would be the first African American police chief in the city of Winter Park’s history.

The selection of Hale is a response to the impending retirement of Winter Park Police Chief Brett Railey on Aug. 26. Railey has stood at the helm of the Winter Park Police Department since 2009, and has spent 34 of his 38 years in law enforcement in Winter Park.