Watch Marcus Jones Get Sworn In As Montgomery Co's Police Chief

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Montgomery County officially has a new top cop.

Marcus Jones — the acting police chief for the county's 1,300-member police force — was sworn in to the role permanently at a ceremony Friday evening.

"I have never been so proud. And I'm humbled and honored to lead the men and women of the Montgomery County Police Department," Jones said after getting sworn in at Gaithersburg High School.

The ceremony marks the official end of an unusually long selection process.

When Chief J. Thomas Manger retired in the spring, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich was tasked with finding his replacement. In the meantime, Assistant Chief Russell E. Hamill III — a former commander of the MCPD's Bethesda district — took over as acting police chief. When he left the force in May to become Laurel's chief of police, Jones stepped in.

Jones, a 34-year veteran of the force, wasn't Elrich's first choice for police chief. The two finalists were Takoma Park Police Chief Antonio DeVaul and former Portsmouth, Virginia police chief Tonya Chapman.

DeVaul took himself out of the running in July, after Takoma Park residents were worried that he'd leave his job as the city's top cop. This meant Chapman was the last remaining candidate for the position in Maryland's most populous county.

But Chapman faced backlash for her three-year stint as Portsmouth, Virginia's police chief.

In March, Chapman resigned after years of clashes with other officers and low police morale, according to multiple media outlets. And some Montgomery County residents worried that Elrich had made the wrong decision by naming Chapman as his nominee.

Chapman pulled her name from consideration in August. Elrich did not cite the reasons for her decision.

In September, Elrich nominated Jones to fill the position permanently.

Though Jones was passed over for promotion twice, Elrich ultimately decided that Jones would "carry out the changes" he wanted to see.

At his swearing-in ceremony, Jones thanked Elrich for having the confidence to put his name forward.

Embedded below is a video of the ceremony.