Local News - July 2003

Abernathy named chief

By ALICE SMITH, LTN Staff Writer

For Dean Abernathy, the past few months have been marked by change.

Abernathy, who has been serving as interim police chief since April 1, has been appointed to the position of police chief.

“I’m tickled to death,” Abernathy said Tuesday. “It makes me feel good that the city manager had confidence in me to appoint me.”

City Manager Jeff Emory announced the appointment Monday, saying he is “confident Abernathy is the right person to lead Lincolnton’s police department for the next several years and will be a tremendous asset to the city and to the community.”

Abernathy is Lincolnton’s seventh police chief. He succeeds Terry Burgin, who held the position for 13 years.

Burgin retired from the job in March, citing a need to spend more time with his wife and new daughter.

Burgin said that while there were many applicants with high qualifications, Abernathy was the right selection.

“I think the city manager did an excellent job in his search,” Burgin said. “I think he was looking for the best chief he could get, and I think he found it.”

Abernathy, who served as Lieutenant for Criminal Investigations from 1993 to this year, was named captain of the LPD in mid-March.

His appointment to the job of interim chief came less than two weeks later.

Abernathy was selected for the position of chief after what city officials called an “extensive process,” including 94 applications.

He admits that the application process for the position wasn’t easy.

“It was tough, it really was,” Abernathy said Tuesday. “It was a tough process to go through, and it was a learning experience to go through.”

And while the nameplate on his office door has changed three times since March, the reality of the most recent promotion is still setting in, he said.

“It’s a big responsibility, but I’m up to it,” Abernathy said.

When he first became a full-time police officer in 1978, becoming first in command wasn’t a goal.

Like most rookie officers, Abernathy said he just wanted to get out and work.

But as his career progressed, eventually bringing him to Lincolnton in 1986 as a patrol officer and leading up to detective and Drug Task Force work, he started thinking about the path he wanted to take.

“The last few years, I’ve worked to get to the top,” he said. “For anybody that’s done this as long as I have, it’s very rewarding to be in this position.”

Abernathy’s appointment to police chief leaves the police captain position open. It also vacates the position which heads up investigations.

As one of his first responsibilities as chief, Abernathy will have to fill those positions.

While no big changes are immediately in the works, Abernathy said some things will be different.

“We can only work to improve ourselves,” he said.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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