Radford City Police Chief Don Goodman is retiring January 1, 2019.
Goodman rose through the ranks of the Blacksburg Police Department over the course of 23 years, before becoming Radford City’s Chief of Police on January 1, 2008.
Goodman’s eleven years in Radford have been marked by the advancement of the department. The Radford City Police moved into a new Public Safety Building in 2012.
This modern facility includes work areas for each officer, a fitness facility, helping promote a healthy lifestyle, and state of the art technology; including a crime lab and a mobile device forensics unit.
Upgrading the police fleet and police equipment, including officer body cameras, were also priorities during his tenure.
“Chief Goodman has been an excellent representative of our city and a strong leader. He has served our community with distinction and honor for eleven years in an often difficult role. He has been able to have human compassion, while providing equitable execution of the law. Chief Goodman has served as a great teammate and advisor to me, a strong mentor to his officers and staff, as well as a supportive colleague to our leadership team, he will be missed” City Manager David Ridpath said.
Goodman has placed emphasis on community engagement, collaboration with Radford University, emergency preparedness and a regional presence in law enforcement at the forefront during his tenure as Police Chief.
His passion and dedication to the people of Radford are known throughout the city, with a special focus on the safety of the children in Radford City Public Schools. By rotating officers through each school and opening car doors at student drop off, Radford’s youth learn that the men and women of the Radford City Police Department are here to help.
“Radford has been fortunate to have Don Goodman as our Police Chief and while we are happy for his opportunity to retire, we will be sad to see him step down. Serving as the Chief of Police can be a tough job and one that requires outstanding police training and experience, as well as people skills at all levels, Mayor David Horton said. “The efforts of Chief Goodman and his department make Radford safer, stronger, and a wonderful place to live. We offer him our greatest thank you and a hearty “job well done.”
Goodman earned his degree in Criminal Justice from Radford University. He is a graduate of the Virginia Chief’s of Police Professional Executive Leadership School and the FBI National Academy.
