Richard H. Furr, Front Royal’s Chief of Police, announced today that he will be retiring August 28 after 30 years of service to the citizens of the Town of Front Royal. He began his career with Front Royal on April 22, 1982 as a patrol officer and rose through the ranks to become Chief of Police on April 13, 2009.

“This past week I was recognized for my 30 years of service and contributions to the Town of Front Royal, serving as Chief of Police for the past three years. It has been a dream come true and an honor for me to serve in this position beside the great men and women of the department. I have delayed my retirement for the past five years for this opportunity and I feel that God has richly blessed me for it. I now plan to spend more time with my wife and family, catch up on my “honey-do” list, and do some travelling. Beyond that, I am confident that God will direct my path.”

Furr stated that his decision to retire was based solely on his personal feeling that the time was right to retire and was not based on any disagreements with any Town Staff or Town Council. Furr said he has had a very good working relationship with several Town Councils and two Town Managers. “They have been instrumental in the achievement of the goals that I had made for myself and the department when I was appointed as Chief of Police. I had set twelve goals in 2009 and the

Department has achieved ten of those goals.” Furr listed the goals achieved as:

• Maintain the current level of services during the economic downturn with anticipated less funding.
• Continue utilizing Volunteers In Police Services (V.I.P.S.) to supplement officers for special events, thereby reducing overtime costs to the department.
• Reduce turnover and keeping experienced officers on the street.
• Scheduled replacement and maintenance of equipment.
• Continued training opportunities in specialized fields.
• Increase Community Policing initiatives.
• Upgrade and remodel dispatch office.
• Initiate a Master Police Officer Program (will occur in FY 2012-2013 budget).
• Reorganize Administrative staff, to include a Chief, one Captain/Deputy Chief, and two Lieutenants (Reorganization Plan will occur in FY2012-2013 budget).
• New police department facilities (Currently under discussion by Town Council).

The two goals not achieved were re-obtaining state accreditation and a revised pay scale for police officers, both of which may be on the horizon according to Furr.

An achievement that Furr had not anticipated was the recent completion of a departmental firing range. “We needed to have a range to keep our officers proficient in the use of their firearms. With the assistance of Town Council, we were able to identify a location on Town property and used Town equipment and manpower to construct a range that met standards set by the Department of Criminal Justice Services. This will save the town money by officers not having to go to other ranges outside of Warren County for state-required qualifications,” Furr stated.

“I strongly feel that this department is filled with very capable staff and I would encourage that the next Chief of Police come from within the department. I sincerely hope that in the next four months the Town Manager will be able to make a selection and we can achieve a smooth transition to the next Chief,” Furr concluded.

From a release.