There's a new chief in town.
Lincoln Heights is all a buzz over its new Police Chief, former Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Ron Twitty.
Chief Twitty says he's been working about 12-hours a day since accepting the job May 12, 2009.
He says he's excited about this new opportunity to put a positive light on Lincoln Heights.
Staff at the Lincoln Heights Municipal Building listened with excitement as their new police chief spoke to callers on a local radio show.
"The energy is like a new life has been given to us," explained Loretta Shackelford-Warren, an employee of Lincoln Heights.
The newly minted police chief is making his rounds, letting everyone know that he's out of retirement and back to work.
"I realized that I wasn't a recreational type person. It took me about a year of retirement to realize that I needed an intellectual challenge,” said Twitty. “I needed something to tax my passion for serving and working with people.”
Twitty says he realizes the challenges ahead.
He says residents have already complained to him about the drug problem and blight in the Village of Lincoln Heights.
Some residents say they don't expect Chief Twitty to turn things around on his own. It will take a village.
"I think that the community has to come together as a whole,” said Donnell Killings, of Lincoln Heights.
“I think it's going to take a lot more than just a new police chief to get things resolved out here,” he added. “I think that people need to come together in the community and start being a part of the young peoples' lives."
Twitty says he's already talked to the Princeton School District about developing programs for students from the community.
"Involving the community is really the best way to define the culture of the community and realize that police officers are public servants,” said Twitty.
“Our job is to maintain the culture that the community identifies for itself – and it makes that community more resistant to disorder," Twitty said.
Many residents are excited that Twitty has accepted the position.
"We're climbing a mountain, and we're on our way home," said Carnell Mathews of Lincoln Heights. “When we get there, we're gonna wave back at everybody else and say 'You thought I couldn't get here, but I did!’”
Chief Twitty says he plans to reach out to the community by attending church services at various churches at least once a month.
