Norfolk Police Chief's Sudden Retirement
Although it’s unlikely, I like to think we had a little something to do with Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone’s surprise announcement Wednesday that he was retiring in two days.
We’ve been critics of his leadership. Perhaps he was paying attention when we called for him to be fired just 15 days ago.
Actually, we first called for him to be sacked last November.
No one is saying the chief has been fired, of course. But it’s unusual for a chief with 30 years of service to the department to make such a hasty exit. His official retirement takes place April 29, but Boone’s last day on the job is tomorrow. He’s using accrued leave for the next several weeks.
Odd.
Boone’s retirement comes amidst an ugly spate of violence. According to reports, there have been 49 people shot in Norfolk so far this year in 39 separate shootings.
For the past several weeks, the city has been playing whack-a-mole with hoodlums as they shot up Granby Street in two incidents and the once upscale (and safe) MacArthur Center. One of the victims of this wave of violence was 25-year-old Sierra Jenkins, a reporter for the Virginian-Pilot. She was out on a Saturday night with a friend when she was killed.
The newspaper was rocked by her death and so was the community.
While the city brass wrung their hands and trotted out tropes about “gun violence” we recently pointed out that the police department was down 200 cops. How does a city get illegal guns off the street, and keep homicidal maniacs away from law-abiding citizens with a depleted police force?
A better question may be: Why is Norfolk having trouble hiring and retaining good police officers?
That is usually a sign of low morale and poor leadership.
Remember, Chief Boone marched with BLM - while IN UNIFORM - in May of 2020. Yet 11 months later, one of his finest officers, Lt. William K. Kelly, was fired after he was outed by dark web hackers for making a $25 anonymous donation to the Kyle Rittenhouse defense fund.
Kelly was unceremoniously removed from duties for his political activity after 19 years on the force.
Yet it doesn’t appear that Boone was reprimanded for HIS political activism.
A police department dripping in hypocrisy is unhealthy for morale and retention. A change is desperately needed In Norfolk.
Boone’s departure is a good first step.
