From Staff Reports

Asheville hired its first female police chief — and its third police chief in four years — in an appointment announced by the city on May 29.

Tammy Hooper is a deputy chief of police in Alexandria, Va., and a 26-year veteran of law enforcement. She will begin working as Asheville’s police chief on July 20. 

Hooper is replacing William Anderson, the city’s first African-American police chief who resigned amid controversy, effective Dec. 31. The Asheville Police Department has roughly 400 personnel.

The city received 141 resumes after advertising the position.

A native of Concord, N.C., Hooper grew up in a military family. She started as an Alexandria patrol officer in 1989 and has since held multiple positions within the department, including serving as commander of the Vice Narcotics Division and later executing the Alexandria Police Department’s Community Policing Plan.

Hooper was also the first woman to serve as a captain of the Alexandria department, and she became Internal Investigations commander in 2007.

“Asheville is a great place,” she told local news media. “I had an opportunity to meet with all the staff during the hiring process. I just got a great feeling from them — they’re awesome people — and I’m totally excited to be a part of the organization.”

Regarding becoming Asheville’s first female police chief, she told the Asheville Citizen-Times that, first and foremost, she got the position because “I earned it and because I’m qualified for it, and I plan on going in there and doing good work.

“That’s what it’s about for me. At the same time, I can’t ignore that I’m the first woman chief, and I’m sure there are going to be people who have their opinions about that, but for me, it’s about getting in there and getting to work.”

Under Anderson, 44 officers signed a petition stating that they lacked confidence in leadership, and the state Department of Justice opened a standards inquiry of the APD.