Kings Mountain welcomes new police chief
Kings Mountain has welcomed a new leader for its police department following the retirement of the city’s first female police chief.
Lisa Proctor, who had stepped in to fill the position following the death of Chief Jerry Tessneer in 2018, left the department in June to dedicate more time to Christian ministry.
More: Kings Mountain's first female police chief retiring to enter ministry
Gerald Childress, of Mooresville, was hired to take the helm and kicked off his Kings Mountain career on Aug. 29.
Selected from a pool of more than a dozen applicants, Childress is a welcome addition to the force, said City Manager Marilyn Sellers.
"We are excited to welcome Chief Childress to our team and look forward to him joining our community," she said.
Born and raised in Mooresville, he started his law enforcement career in Huntersville and quickly achieved his goal of becoming an investigator.
He said growing up, he was enthralled by TV shows "Miami Vice" and "Knight Rider."
“It intrigued me into the law enforcement profession,” he said.
Childress said he was accepted at Catawba Valley Community College into the Basic Law Enforcement training, and following his graduation he got his first law enforcement job in Huntersville in 1996 and eventually transferred to Mooresville in 2005.
Childress said he completed his undergraduate degree from Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1995 and eventually earned his master's degree from Methodist University in 2010.
He’s taken a slew of leadership classes, and courses and his bucket list goal is to go to the FBI National Academy.
As he climbed the ranks, aspirations to become chief eventually began to form in his mind. At the time of his hire with Kings Mountain, he was working as an administrative lieutenant for the town of Spindale and had previously served as the deputy chief of the town of Mooresville for two years after a long career with the Mooresville Police Department.
“It worked out great for me,” he said of working for Spindale. “It’s a smaller agency. They hired me to bring in some nuance and new ideas to the table.”
He said when he first heard of the chief of police position in Kings Mountain, he didn’t know much about the city and began doing some research.
He said he realized exciting things were on the horizon, and he was eager to get in on the ground floor as the city prepares for exponential growth.
“I’m very grateful to come aboard here and be a part of that growth,” Childress said. “My predecessor did a good job getting this department to where it is, and I'm looking forward to moving it further down the road.”
Although Childress is still finding his stride during his second week and gradually ramping up efforts, he said one of the goals he has established is to increase the department’s manpower. With the city growing and new people moving in and finding work and entertainment, he said those people will need protection.
The Catawba Two Kings Casino will bring in restaurants, hotels and other businesses, which will mean an increased need for law enforcement. Childress hopes to facilitate the budgeting of funds for the additional manpower that will be required. He said there are also new equipment needs and upgrades, including the radio system, which although sufficient for now, will need updating soon.
Childress describes himself as being transparent and personable.
“I want to be open and have that open communication,” he said. “I have an open door policy.”
He wants to continue to build on the relationships established and grow new ones.
Childress and his wife currently live in Newton and said the city has given him a year to become a Kings Mountain resident.
The couple have a 20-year-old daughter who is a student at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
He said he and his wife are looking for a place to call home in the area.
“I want to be a part of this community,” Childress said. “I don't want to be a phantom chief. I want folks to know who I am.”
Kings Mountain Police Department has historically been led by outspoken Christians, and Childress fits the same mold.
“I’m a very faith-based person,” he said.
He said the fact that Kings Mountain is a big faith-based community was a draw for him.
“It was almost like a calling,” he said.
When Childress stepped into his new office for the first time, he was immediately struck by the photo on the wall. It shows a team of rowers working together to move a boat forward and the caption “Working Together” was below the photo.
It felt like a sign. Childress has a mantra he follows, “My oar will never come out of the water,” to describe how he plans to continually move the agency forward.
He said it takes teamwork and people working together toward a common goal.
“It solidified the fact that this is where I’m supposed to be,” he said.
Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Kings Mountain's new police chief ready to lead department
