Politics & Government

Fairfax Gets New Acting Police Chief

Edwin Roessler will take over as acting chief as search for permanent Fairfax County police chief continues.

The Fairfax County Executive appointed Lt. Col. Edwin Roessler the acting chief of the Fairfax County Police Department on Tuesday making him the third chief the department has seen in five months.

Roessler will take over for Lt. Col. James Morris, who has been serving as acting chief since October 2012, when former chief David Rohrer was appointed deputy county executive for public safety.

Morris was named chief of the Town of Vienna police last month; he starts next week.

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Roessler will receive an annual salary of $183,815. He starts Saturday.

Roessler’s appointment comes after 24 years of law enforcement. He began his career in the New York City Department of Investigation before moving to Fairfax County, where he has served as deputy chief of patrol since 2010 and overseen police operations across the department’s eight stations.

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He has also held senior command positions in the Internal Affairs Bureau, as director of the Criminal Justice Academy and as manager of the department’s budget.

Roessler, a graduate of Arizona State University, also has a graduate degree from the George Washington University.


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