Town of Navassa swears in new police chief

NAVASSA, NC (WWAY) — The Navassa Police Department swore in their new police chief on December 1st, 2023, and he’s no stranger to the Cape Fear area.

Dale Thomas has been an officer for more than 16 years.

He spent the first nine years of his career in Omaha, Nebraska, and then came to work at the Leland Police Department for four years.

Thomas said he is ready to bring the department and the community closer together.

“One of the things I want to do is bring in a good culture, as far as like with the officers and the community,” Thomas said. “I want it to be a trust both ways. So that’s one of the biggest things coming in as a new chief is to build that culture, the culture that you want to build, and to build that trust with the community.”

Thomas moved back to Nebraska and spent several years there before being hired back in September to work for Navassa police.