THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 15, 1994 TAG: 9411150280
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
A police officer known as ``a cop's cop'' in Norfolk is retiring after nearly three decades to become the chief of police in Nags Head.
Charles Cameron, an assistant chief in Norfolk who has worked for that department for 27 years, will assume his new duties in Nags Head in January.
He succeeds Lonnie Dickens, who resigned last summer.
Cameron, 49, rose through the ranks, after joining the Norfolk Police Department as a uniformed patrol officer in 1968. He has served as executive officer for the Vice and Narcotics Division, and as commanding officer of the Special Enforcement Division.
In his current job, Cameron is responsible for the Field Services Bureau, which includes all uniformed patrol divisions, special enforcement, criminal investigations, vice and narcotics, animal control, and crime prevention.
Cameron called his retirement from the Norfolk department ``one of the most difficult decisions my wife and I have ever made.''
``I have had a great career in Norfolk, and I take many great memories with me,'' Cameron said. ``I shall always be grateful to the city and the department for having had the privilege and honor to serve the citizens of this great city.''
Cameron added, ``I wish the city of Norfolk, its citizens, and the Norfolk Police Department family nothing but the best, for they deserve nothing less than the best. It is my hope that God continues to hold the city and its police department in the palm of his hand.''
Cameron said his family has planned to settle on the Outer Banks for a number of years. The appointment to the Nags Head post fulfills that dream.
Norfolk Police Chief Melvin C. High called Cameron ``the model of a truly great professional police officer.''
``My transition to the Norfolk Police Department over a year and a half ago was made smoothly because of Charlie,'' High said. ``We share many things in common and have become friends over the last 17 months. This department and I will miss his daily presence and professional skills. Our loss is Nags Head's great gain.''
Nags Head Town Manager Webb Fuller praised Cameron's professional commitment.
``I am extremely proud and honored that Charlie will be working for the town of Nags Head,'' Fuller said. ``His professional commitment to public safety, his dedication to community policing, and his love for the Outer Banks will make a welcomed addition to the Nags Head community. Charlie and his family are looking forward to calling Nags Head home.''
Cameron, a graduate of the FBI National Academy, is the incoming president of the Virginia Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates, and is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Cameron will earn $43,336 annually in Nags Head. by CNB