By Chip Womick
The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO, N.C. — Maj. Ralph Norton, a 25-year-veteran of the force, will be sworn in as the city’s police chief on Thursday, Aug. 1.
The 4 p.m. ceremony, which will be open to the public, will be held at the city’s Public Works Department at 1312 N. Fayetteville St. A reception will follow.
Capt. Jody Williams, who has more than 20 years with the department, will be sworn in as assistant chief and assume the rank of major.
Norton succeeds Rickey Wilson, who retired after a little more than four years as the city’s top cop. He has been acting chief, and Williams acting assistant chief, since May 4.
When they were appointed, City Manager John Ogburn said that giving Norton and Williams the command on an interim basis would provide an opportunity to evaluate their work. He said he expected them to be up to the task.
“They’ve been well accepted by the ranks and by the folks in the DA’s office,” Ogburn said last week. “And I knew they could do the job.”
Norton’s started as a patrol officer with the Asheboro department in 1988.
Since then, he has served in many roles: Bike patrol sergeant; field training officer; grant manager for the department; vice/narcotics detective; patrol lieutenant; master lieutenant; and captain and commander of the uniformed patrol division. He was promoted to major in February 2009.
Norton serves as an adjunct faculty member in the criminal justice degree program at Randolph Community College; a RADAR instructor for the N.C. Justice Academy, Randolph Community College and Davidson County Community College; and a basic law enforcement instructor at RCC. He holds a master’s degree in justice administration from Methodist University.
Williams also began his career with the department as a patrol officer. That was in 1991. He was a vice/narcotics detective from 1993-1996; a sergeant over special services (1999-2000) and over vice and narcotics (2000-2003); a patrol lieutenant (2003-2006) and assistant commander of the detective division (2006-2009); and captain and commander of the administrative division from 2010-2012. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Garden-Webb University.
“It’s actually exciting,” Ogburn said. “It’s nice to know you’ve got folks like this coming along ... we’ve been pretty fortunate that we’ve had outstanding leadership in that department.”
Copyright 2013 The Courier-Tribune, Asheboro, N.C.