Chris Chapmond, who has served as assistant Hot Springs police chief since June 2016, will soon take the helm as police chief in the rapidly growing city of Bluffton, S.C., located near Hilton Head.
Chapmond, a 22-year veteran of the HSPD, applied for the position about four months ago, joining more than 60 other applicants from 24 states and two other countries. Chapmond learned Monday that he had been selected for the position, and will begin his duties there on or before Sept. 1.
"I felt like I was in a position to take the next step in my professional career," Chapmond told The Sentinel-Record Tuesday, noting such a move was not going to happen in Hot Springs because current Police Chief Jason Stachey "is doing such a great job.
"It's never been a competition between us at all, but that kind of forced me to look outside the area and outside the state."
Stachey said Tuesday he knew "for quite some time (Chapmond's) ultimate goal was to become chief of a police department and when I named him assistant chief I encouraged him to finish his bachelor's degree, which he did, and he was very motivated to take the necessary steps to move ahead in his career."
"I am so happy he got selected for the job. I've always said that any person who wants to better themselves and continue to move up that I am all for it and support them completely. I wish him the best of luck and have no doubt he will do well," Stachey said.
Chapmond said he and his family "fell in love" with the South Carolina/Georgia coastal area after his son, Mason, was stationed at Fort Stewart in nearby Hinesville, S.C. "We made multiple trips out there to see him and when the Bluffton position opened up I thought I would apply. It's definitely a perk being close to him, but not the only reason. The area is just amazing. It's fantastic. I'm really excited about it."
Around the same time he applied at Bluffton, Chapmond also applied for the chief job in Jacksonville and finished second. "That didn't work out but that was definitely a God thing. This is something we prayed about and really spent a lot of time as a family seeking what was going to be best for us."
He said the process in Bluffton started with a video interview and the field was cut to five and then he did four interviews in two days last week, including a citizen's panel and meeting the town council members.
"It was a very professional process from start to finish. I can't brag enough about Marc Orlando (Bluffton's town manager) and Katherine Robinson (Bluffton's human resources director). The way they ran the search and interview process was just top notch."
"I am grateful for the level of investment and involvement town leaders and residents had in this process and their partnership to our continuing high standard for public safety," Orlando said in a news release.
"I believe Christopher Chapmond is the right fit for the town to take our police department to its next stage of professional growth as an organization," he said.
Chapmond said Hot Springs and Bluffton have very similar governments, with a town manager and mayor, noting the city "has great vision. It's also very similar to us in that they have a lot of special events, a strong, healthy retirement community and a lot of outdoor activities they really focus on."
The city is smaller than Hot Springs, with a population of a little over 20,000, but it is rapidly growing. "That was one of the things that appealed to me about the job. (Bluffton) is the fastest-growing town in South Carolina. The potential for growth and things you can do with the department and as a department head are pretty amazing."
He said the police department currently has 55 sworn officers and several civilian staff but, based on the city's rapid growth, "I think that will expand fairly quickly over the course of time."
Chapmond said he and his wife, Elizabeth, looked at several opportunities and "did our research" and feel they found "a place that was probably going to fit not just our lifestyle, but our family. A community with sound values, a strong economy and a great vision for the future."
He said his family, including two sons, both seniors in high school, spent several days touring the area and "just fell in love with the place."
Chapmond said he will miss Hot Springs because "this is where I was born and raised and grew up. The men and women of this department are my extended family and the community is my extended family. We're so engaged and plugged into the community here that there are a lot of people I'm going to miss."
Chapmond and his family had moved into a 111-year-old historical craftsman house on Prospect Avenue that he completely restored, but he had no regrets about giving that up to move to Bluffton.
"I was a carpenter by trade before I joined the police department so that was a love project and great stress reliever for a long time. I would leave here and go to work there. I feel like I'm giving back to the community by taking an old property like that and bringing it back to life. Whether I'm there or someone else is there, it's a benefit to the town and neighborhood. Besides, it was a lot of fun."
Stachey said Chapmond will be greatly missed by the department and Hot Springs as a whole.
"He had a tremendous impact not only on our department but on the entire community during his work here. We worked together closely for the last 20-plus years and it was so important having someone you're close to helping to develop your vision and goals for the department.
"He was such an asset and we will certainly miss him after he leaves," he said.
While his departure leaves a void, Stachey stressed that "I'm sure the next person can step up and fill it." He said he could not really comment yet on who might take the position since Chapmond "hasn't even left yet," but noted, "I can say there will be promotions as a result of his departure."
Local on 07/25/2018