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NEWS RELEASE 5/29/2009 |
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| FLINT POLICE CHIEF LOCK APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY |
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FLINT, Mich. – Police Chief Alvern Lock has been appointed the city’s director of public safety, effective immediately. Lock, who will remain the city’s police chief, will oversee the administrative operations of the Flint police, fire and emergency dispatch (911) units. Acting Mayor Michael K. Brown announced the appointment today, calling Lock a skilled administrator who can bring about strong organizational leadership to the city’s public safety services. Brown added that Lock’s participatory management style encourages and welcomes input from staff at all levels, especially frontline personnel. Brown said a public safety director will provide for better coordination of emergency services across the city. The appointment is also part of a reorganization effort to operate more efficiently by streamlining the city’s executive staff. “Chief Lock is highly respected within the police department and a dedicated public servant,” Brown said. “The warm reception he received from his fellow police officers at his confirmation hearing before the City Council in February spoke well of his reputation. “I am very confident that Chief Lock will bring the same kind of trusted leadership to the fire department and 911 service.” Assistant Fire Chief Dandre Williams and 911 Administrator Stephen Todd will report to Lock. Williams and Todd will continue to handle the day-to-day operations for their respective departments. Lock said he will focus on improving operating efficiencies across departments, boosting morale and restoring a greater sense of pride. “Those three things all go hand-in-hand,” said Lock. “You can’t expect people to operate efficiently if they don’t have pride in what they’re doing or if morale is suffering. I especially want our firefighters to know that they are valued members of the organization.” He emphasized that his role is to improve the way the departments are managed in order to deliver the best public safety services possible to residents. “I’ll leave the technical expertise of fighting fires to our experts – the firefighters,” said Lock. Lock is a 23-year veteran of the Flint Police Department, retiring in 2006 as a lieutenant. He served as the director of safety for Flint Community Schools from 2006 to 2007, and was later a public safety supervisor at the University of Michigan-Flint from January 2007 to February 2009. Lock returned to the Flint Police Department in February 2009 as the city’s chief law enforcement officer for the Brown administration. He has a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wayne State University and a Master’s degree in technology studies from Eastern Michigan University. ### |
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