Our Community: Chris Blue | Chapel Hill Sheena
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For the Chapel Hill Police Chief, a strong community is built on strong relationships.
As a Chapel Hill local for over 40 years, Chris Blue has seen many changes in our growing city. Despite this, he admits that “in many ways it is still a small town. This is where you want to put down roots and raise your family.” As a 23 year veteran of our police department, Chris has expanded his sense of family to include all of Chapel Hill.
It is this sense of family that makes him see every day at work as an opportunity to make meaningful change, and strong relationships as the basis for meaningful change. “You have to be deliberate and deliberate in creating a culture that emphasizes the importance of relationships,” he says, “because relationships are what will get you through tough times. To do this well as a public institution requires organizational commitment.”
Commitment to high standards
As Chief of Police, Chris deeply respects the importance of high standards in his profession. “There was a time when cops were some of the most trusted and respected professionals in this country,” he says. While he acknowledges that every situation is different and no human organization is perfect, he wants the Chapel Hill Police Department's efforts to pave the way for building and maintaining the trust and respect of the people they serve.
When asked what his officers could do to improve their own lives and the lives of members of their community, he replied, “Despite what the movies may portray, policing is really about relationships and human interaction. You have to love people to do this kind of work. Every meeting is an opportunity to clear up some of the ambiguities surrounding the cops right now.”
Longing for a brighter tomorrow
Looking to the future, Chris advocates for his department - and police departments everywhere - to "give their strong support to services that can address community issues" such as homelessness and mental illness. He also wants the Chapel Hill Police Department to "make a commitment to carefully and thoughtfully serving the traditionally underserved parts of our community."
Among today's challenges, we find hope and inspiration in the presence of a visionary member of our community like Police Chief Chris Blue. No matter how much they've grown, the tight-knit sense of belonging you'll find in Chapel Hill comes from the love that long-term residents like Chris have for this community and their commitment to building strong, mutually supportive relationships with everyone they meet. meet.
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