WAKE FOREST -- Wake Forest has hired a native son and veteran law officer to serve as its new police chief, town officials announced today.
Jeff Leonard has been serving as the town's interim police chief since Jan. 1 following the retirement of former chief Greg Harrington.
“Jeff has performed well during the past six months and has demonstrated that he is very capable of handling the position on a full time basis,” Mark Williams, Wake Forest's town manager stated this morning in a press release. “I believe the police department will make great strides under his leadership.”
Leonard grew up in Wake Forest and graduated from Wake Forest-Rolesville High School in 1989.
He earned a bachelor of arts degree in sociology with a concentration in criminal justice from North Carolina State University and is a 2006 graduate of the FBI
National Academy.
Leonard joined the Wake Forest Police Department as a part-time auxiliary officer in August 1992. He became a full-time patrol officer in August 1994. Over the past 18 years, he has risen through the ranks of the department working as an investigator, sergeant, lieutenant, major, and deputy chief.
As police chief, Leonard will oversee an annual department budget of $6.6 million and 69 professional and sworn staff members.
Leonard enjoys fishing, golf, and spending time with his family. He and his wife, Amy, have two children, Meredith and Mason.
