Frederick, Maryland has chosen the former chief of police in Portsmouth, Virginia to be its new head law enforcement officer.
Edward Hargis was named at a press conference on Thursday. He will take office July 27.
For the past six years, Hargis has been the chief of police in Portsmouth, "where he focused on crime reduction and enhancing community engagement," Mayor Randy McClement said in a statement.
Hargis announced he would retire from the Portsmouth job in April, WAVY reported.
Before that, Hargis was the interim police chief in Camden, N.j., where he had worked for 20 years.
The Frederick News-Post reported that McClement had faced criticism from some on the city's Board of Aldermen and from the Fraternal Order of Police for not making the selection process for the new chief open to the public.
McClement told the paper that he was trying to protect the identities of the applicants.
