Seasoned lieutenant announced as Abilene's third assistant chief of police

The Abilene Police Department announced Thursday the promotion of Lt. Joel Harris to assistant chief of police.

Harris has climbed up the ladder within the police department since joining the academy in 2008, according to an APD media release. He worked as a patrol officer until his promotion to sergeant in 2018 and then to lieutenant in 2023.

After his time as a patrol officer, Harris transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division as a detective.

He took on other duties during his time in the department, including serving as a sniper on the SWAT team, a member of the crisis negotiations team and the school resource officer program, an instructor for active attack response and de-escalation, and served as the training division director and bike unit commander.

Harris was selected for the position after an extensive promotional selection process. The preceding assistant chief Doug Wrenn retired in early 2024.

“Lieutenant Harris distinguished himself through his exemplary leadership, integrity and vision for the future of the Abilene Police Department," police Chief Ron Serratte said in the media release.

"His demonstrated ability to inspire and empower others, coupled with his unwavering dedication to our mission, makes him the ideal candidate to help lead us into the next chapter of our journey," Serratte said.

Harris joins Serratte, Assistant Chief Ritchie Waggoner and Assistant Chief Craig Jorden in police administration for the department.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Seasoned lieutenant chosen as APD's third assistant chief of police