NORFOLK, Va. — The City of Norfolk introduced Mark Talbot as its next Chief of Police.
“We’re going to work together, shoulder to shoulder, to make this city as safe as it can possibly be [and] we’re going to have a good time doing it,” Talbot said in the introductory news conference.
Talbot, a veteran law enforcement leader, is currently Hampton’s Chief of Police. With his new appointment, he’ll become the Norfolk Police Department’s 35th Chief.
He was formally introduced as the city’s next Chief of Police by City Manager Dr. Chip Filer.
“Our residents told us they wanted somebody that had experience as a chief, they wanted someone with experience in an urban setting. They wanted someone very involved in community policing, strong emphasis on data driven police work,” Filer said. “Those traits that were said absolutely guided me towards Chief Talbot, because I believe he epitomizes all of those characteristics.”
The city’s decision to make Talbot its new top cop concludes a search process for the position that began last year. He will succeed News 3's Law Enforcement Analyst Larry Boone, who announced his retirement last May.
Following Boone’s retirement, Deputy City Manager Michael Goldsmith took over as the Interim Chief of Police. He also announced his retirement, which will go into effect on April 14.
TRENDING: 'Spirit of Norfolk' lives on as 'The Spirit' relaunches
NEW NORFOLK POLICE CHIEF: In minutes, new @NorfolkPD Chief Mark Talbot will be introduced in a news conference. City Manager, Dr. Chip Filer, is also expected to speak this afternoon. @WTKR3 will stream the news conference live at https://t.co/3Dh2dKmFr0 pic.twitter.com/t0XpKyakCJ
— Zak Dahlheimer (@ZakDahlheimer) April 5, 2023
Following the conclusion of the press conference, the Hampton NAACP provided a statement to News 3 regarding Talbot's departure from the Hampton Police Department. The statement is as follows:
"We are saddened to see Chief Talbot leave the Hampton Police Department; however he has left our police department stronger and better. Chief Talbot is a strategist and understands true relational policing. Not to mention, he stopped the use of coercive policing methods, indiscriminate stops, searches and much more.
We wish him well in serving the citizens of Norfolk."
News 3 Anchor Zak Dahlheimer asked Dr. Filer about how the city ended up choosing Talbot.
According to Filer, after the finalist interviews wrapped up two to three weeks ago, the search committee met and Filer didn't know if the right person was in the finalist pool.
He said he reached out to the search firm, Morris and McDaniel, and talked about extending the search and opening it up to more applicants.
About four or five days after the finalist interviews wrapped up, Filer reached out to Talbot to ask if he wanted to apply for the job.
Filer said Talbot applied and went through the assessment process.
“I want to be very clear, what’s happening here today is in no manner any demotion or any demerits against the candidates that we had,” Dr. Filer said.
“When Dr. Filer called me and spoke to me about the possibility of coming to this great city, the only thing that a police chief does is say that would be an honor,” Talbot said.
Talbot said he's thankful for his time and support in Hampton, and is excited to come to Norfolk.
“In my career, and just generally speaking, as a police chief, you seek out cities. They don’t seek you out,” Talbot said. “This opportunity, this city, what I’ve done in my career, what I understand, my skill set, this is the job that I should be doing.”
News 3 also asked Talbot what some of his goals were in his first 100 days on the new job.
“The first thing that we need to make sure that we’re focusing on is where are people suffering the most,” he said. “Where is there a level of violence that we need to quickly put an end to?”
Detective Mike Lynch with the Norfolk Police Union said he had questions about how Talbot was selected and learned about the announcement on Tuesday through news reports.
“I was kind of surprised,” Lynch said.
He said he's looking forward to working with Talbot and hopes to address with him matters such as pay, morale and improving facilities.
“[To] formulate a bond with the new chief, and hopefully we can have the one-on-one connection,” Lynch said. “Executively help him help us move the department forward, I believe, where it needs to be.”
In his first 100 days, Talbot also said it’s important for him to listen to people who want to talk about safety in the City of Norfolk.
According to a city spokesperson, Talbot’s annual salary will be $220,000.
Talbot is expected to officially start as Norfolk’s next police chief on May 1.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
