Gillenwater named new Rockingham Police Chief

ROCKINGHAM — The City of Rockingham has named Police Chief Billy Kelly’s successor: Captain George Gillenwater.

Gillenwater will become Chief of Police on Nov. 17, and fully take over the position on Dec. 1 when Kelly’s tenure ends. Gillenwater began at the Rockingham Police Department in 2006 as a patrol officer, worked for the Department of Revenue from 2014-2016, before returning to RPD. He was named a lieutenant in May 2017 and promoted to captain in April where he has been in charge of Major Crimes and Internal Investigations.

Moving up to the position of chief has been his goal for about the last four or five years, Gillenwater said Thursday, and expressed interested in the job when Kelly intimated that he was planning to announce his retirement last month. Kelly had been advising him on the trainings he would need to undertake and responsibilities he would need to familiarize himself with, such as putting together the department’s budget and working with City Council and administrative staff, to be prepared to take the next step.

In his new role, he will still manage Major Crimes but in an assisting capacity as he shifts into running the entire department. Gillenwater has been frequently involved in court proceedings on the side of the prosecution, but will not take on any new cases once he is officially chief. Still, he said that he will likely remain in court for the next 5-10 years dealing with the string of murders this year.

Gillenwater said his first priority is to learn as much as he can from Kelly, who he said has done an “amazing job” with the department over the next two months.

“[Kelly] has laid an amazing foundation and really all I’m looking to do is build upon that. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Gillenwater said. “I think that what we have in place is great, I think that we’re one of the best agencies to work for in the state and I think a lot of that has to do with what Chief Kelly has already implemented.”

City Manager Monty Crump said the city is “fortunate” to have multiple qualified candidates for the new chief internally.

“Captain Gillenwater’s senior experience, especially his experience in law enforcement command, will prove very beneficial to the Police Department and the City of Rockingham,” Crump said in a statement. “Captain Gillenwater brings a strong skill set, experienced demeanor and balanced approach to law enforcement in a very challenging and ever-changing social environment. He is fully committed to the safety and welfare of the citizens of Rockingham and is well-prepared to lead the Rockingham Police Department.”