Newark Police Veteran Will Take Over As Acting Chief In 2021

NEWARK, NJ — Newark will have a new, acting police chief heading into the new year.

Lee Douglas, a captain with the Newark Police Department, is a familiar face to many on the force. A 24-year Newark police veteran and commander of the 5th Precinct, Douglas was announced as the city’s new acting chief of police on Wednesday.

Douglas will take over his new post on Jan. 1, 2021.

“I’ve worked with Captain Douglas ever since my days as a Newark City Council member,” Mayor Ras Baraka said. “He has consistently served the community from the heart, with both a keen sense of professionalism and a personal commitment to our residents.”

Baraka said that Douglas brings more than two decades of “dedicated public service and hands-on supervisory experience” to the job.

Newark Department of Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said that Douglas will continue building upon the department’s efforts to “change the culture of policing” and make Newark “a safer city with fewer victims.”

“I have known and worked with Captain Douglas for the past 24 years,” Ambrose said. “He offers the perfect blend of a consummate law enforcement professional coupled with a heartfelt passion to serve each and every Newarker as if they were family.”

Douglas joined the Newark Police Division in July 1996. He replaces former Newark Police Chief Darnell Henry, who retired in September.

• See related article: Watch Retirement Farewell In Newark For Beloved Police Chief

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