City Manager Rob Hernandez announced his appointment of Roy Minter as Police Chief for the City of Savannah. Chief Minter was selected following a nationwide recruitment conducted by the Mercer Group, Inc.

Chief Minter has more than 30 years of public-safety experience. Chief Minter is currently the Police Chief in Peoria, Arizona where he has served since 2011. From 2008-2011 Minter was the Police Chief in Denton, Texas. Prior to his appointment in Denton, Chief Minter spent 15 years with the Aurora, Colorado Police Department where he held several positions including: Narcotics Unit Sergeant, Training Section Commander, and the Operations Support Section Commander, where he supervised the SWAT team, K-9 Unit, Gang Intervention Unit and Pattern Crimes Unit. Chief Minter began his law enforcement career with the Houston Police Department where he served for 10-years as a police officer in the Special Operations Division.

Chief Minter holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. Chief Minter is also a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum - Senior Management Institute for Police.

In April 2008, PERF presented Chief Minter with its Gary P. Hayes Memorial Award. The Hayes Award is presented annually to law enforcement professionals who exhibit strong character, a record of leadership, and a commitment to improving the law enforcement profession. Chief Minter is the current President of the West Valley Chiefs Association and 2nd Vice President of the Arizona Association of Chief of Police. Chief Minter is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, where he serves on the Community Policing Committee. His professional affiliations include the Police Executive Research Forum, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Latino Peace Officers Association.

Earlier this month four Police Chief finalists went through a series of interviews and meetings with key executive City staff, two citizens advisory panels and a law enforcement panel. The Citizens advisory panel consisted of members of the Savannah community. Each member of City Council selected someone for this panel. The Law Enforcement Panel was made up of nine current or former police and criminal justice executives, both from the Savannah area and outside the region. The finalists also completed a formal assessment process conducted by Developmental Associates, LLC in which the candidates knowledge, skills and abilities were assessed. Components included leadership, interpersonal, supervisory and communication skills. Hernandez collected feedback from those who attended the interviews and meetings before making the decision to hire Chief Minter.

City Manager Rob Hernandez said, “I am excited to welcome Chief Minter to our team to move Savannah Forward. We had a field of exceptional candidates for the position which made the final selection a very difficult decision. Chief Minter is an outstanding choice for our department because he is man of great character and competence. He has wealth of experience leading several great cities across the country. I have every confidence he will distinguish himself early on as a visionary and effective community leader in Savannah.

I appreciate the leadership that Interim Chief Mark Revenew has provided during the past five months. I want to thank Chief Revenew and the entire Savannah Police Department for continuing to provide excellent police services to the community. So far this year crime in the City is down 18-percent and that is result of the hard work of the men and women of our great police department. I am confident under Chief Minter’s leadership that trend will continue.”

Chief Minter will become a certified police officer in the State of Georgia. He will commence his duties in Savannah on August 27, 2018. His starting salary will be $170,000.

In a statement to the City Manager, Chief Winter wrote, “I want to thank you for selecting me for this position. It is truly an honor for me to be selected to serve this GREAT city and join your outstanding leadership team.”