Astoria swears in new police chief

The Daily Astorian, Ore.
·1 min read

Jul. 6—Stacy Kelly, Astoria's new police chief, was sworn in Tuesday during a ceremony at City Hall.

Kelly has more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement, which includes serving as the assistant police chief for the Newport News Police Department in Virginia. He replaces former Police Chief Geoff Spalding, who retired from the role in April after leading the department since 2017.

Deputy Chief Eric Halverson has served as the police department's interim chief.

"It's such an honor to have been selected for this position," Kelly said. "Chief Spalding has left the agency in a really good place. I'm looking forward to working with the men and women of the department and see where we go from here."

Kelly also took the opportunity to recognize Halverson's leadership during the interim.

"A lot of interim chiefs, they come in and they just maintain the status quo," he said. "He has really kept the department moving forward, kept the morale up during this time, so I think he really deserves some acknowledgment and thanks."