Wrightsville Beach Police Capt. Paul Burdette has taken the position of police chief of Beaufort, North Carolina, unconfirmed town sources said Wed. Oct. 14. Burdette is second in command at the police department.
Beaufort Town Manager Charlie Burgess couldn’t confirm the hire. He told the Lumina News the town was still in the negotiation phases for the leading candidate for the open police chief position. Burgess said five candidates have been interviewed and he expected to announce the candidate early next week.
The personnel change comes as the town has been working to replenish its ranks after a rash of resignations this summer that left the police force of 25 short at least eight officers at one point. The town now has five new officers in the hiring or training process, Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Dan House said. By Oct. 26, House said he expects all five officers to be on the force. Of the five new officers, three have prior police experience, House said, while two are rookie officers.
Two new officers are in the police department’s 16-week field training program, House said. Three other hires are being reviewed by the N.C. Department of Justice Law Enforcement Training and Standards Commission, which reviews potential police candidates across the state.
Other positions on the police force also need to be filled, including an investigator position, but those roles aren’t critical to the department, House said.
“With these five new officers, all of our squad will be filled and our regular force will be out there by the end of the month,” House said on Tuesday before word of Burdette’s possible departure.
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