‘We’re forward focused;’ New WPD chief shares first impressions and priorities

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) – One month ago Wilmington’s new police chief, Ryan Zuidema took officer after he was unanimously appointed in August.

WWAY sat down with him to hear what his first impressions are of the department and what his priorities are going forward.

“I did a ride-along when I was 19-years-old and that sold me for it the last 29 years or so,” Zuidema said. “Very excited to come here, got a great group of men and women in the police department.”

Zuidema was sworn in on Sept. 22 after serving in Lynchburg, Virginia since 1997.  While in Lynchburg, he said he played a key role in advancing crime-reduction strategies, officer training, and citizen engagement.

Now he plans to bring that same focus to Wilmington and build a bridge between police officers and residents.

“We got to have strong relationships with individuals and businesses, community members and non profits,” Zuidema said. “That’s how we build trust in the community and helps us aggressively deal with violent crime.”

Last year, the city brought in consultants to address internal complaints and cultural issues within the department. Zuidema says his focus is on moving forward.

“We’re forward focused, we need to understand the past certainly and we need to recognize what happened, but the goal and the focus is how do we move together forward from here,” Zuidema said.

He’s already met with city leaders to discuss leading the region in officer pay, as well as improving resources to retain and recruit staff.

“First and foremost, we’re retaining the folks that we have here making sure that they are fairly compensated and working in a place they want to be,” Zuidema said.

Zuidema also wants to address traffic safety concerns, especially crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists.

“There’s an education piece to that, there’s certainly an enforcement piece to that too,” Zuidema said. “None of that enforcement is just to go out an immediately write people tickets.”

As he looks to the future, he hopes the community will see integrity and commitment under his leadership

“Police work is very, very complicated but if we break it down into the two simplest things, we partner with our community and we protect them,” Zuidema said.