Courtesy photo
Salem City Manager, Chris Dorsey, announced yester that he is appointing Deputy Chief Derek Weeks to the position of interim police chief for the city of Salem. The move will take effect on June 1 when the current police chief, Mike Crawley, officially retires after nearly 25 years of service to the Salem community.
“One behalf of the entire city, I want to thank Chief Crawley for his dedicated service to all Salem residents throughout the years,” Dorsey said. “We wish him nothing but the best in his retirement, and I am confident Derek Weeks will continue to uphold the city’s tradition of excellent policing as he leads the force on an interim basis.”
Weeks, 49, began his law enforcement career serving four years with the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office before joining the Salem Police Department in 2001 as a patrol officer. He transferred to Salem’s Detective Division in 2006 and was elected Salem’s Officer of The Year by his peers in 2007.
In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and served in that capacity in the Patrol, Services, and Forensics Divisions. During that period, Weeks graduated from the 81st Session of the Virginia Forensic Science Academy. In 2015, Weeks was promoted to the rank lieutenant, and he has been Salem’s second in command since February 2016.
“I am excited to serve this department and this community in this capacity,” Weeks said. “Moving forward, my goal is to continue to build on the foundation established by previous administrators who mentored me. We will continue to provide our citizens and visitors with excellent police services.”
Weeks graduated from Glenvar High School in 1992 and from Radford University in 1996. In 2022, he also graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico in the 284th class. He resides in Salem with his wife and family.
The city of Salem is currently involved in a national search to find the city’s next chief. The position search is being spearheaded by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police on behalf of the city.
-The Salem Times-Register