The James City County Police Department chief has been promoted.
Effective Jan. 16, Police Chief Brad Rinehimer will serve as assistant county administrator and will no longer be the department’s police chief.
“Mr. Rinehimer has demonstrated strong leadership and commitment to James City County during his tenure,” said JCC County Administrator Scott Stevens in a prepared statement on Dec. 30. “I am excited to welcome him into this new role and look forward to working with him to meet the needs of our community.”
Rinehimer has been the police chief since 2013 and joined the department in 1995. He currently serves as a board member of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, according to the county’s Dec. 30 news release.
“The Board of Supervisors created a second assistant county administrator position last fall,” according to the county’s announcement. “In his new role, Rinehimer will be responsible for oversight of the Police Department, Fire Department and Social Services.”
Stevens wrote in an email on Jan. 12, the position was created to help the county is involved with the community and is “easily accessible” to residents, the BOS and employees.
“As a growing community, this becomes more difficult with the same number of people,” Stevens wrote. “Beyond the departments that are supervised by this position, Mr. Rinehimer will handle special projects as they come up and help with more forward looking thinking planning to ensure the county is preparing rather than reacting to future challenges.”
In addition, Rinehimer will help the county with “succession planning.”
“With this additional position, we can meet the requests made of this office in a timely manner and ensure a smoother transition when a change in county administrator occurs,” Stevens added.
On Jan. 4, less than a week after the county announced Rinehimer was promoted to assistant county administrator, Stevens named Deputy Police Chief Steve Rubino interim police chief effective Jan. 16.
Rubino is the department’s public information officer and has been deputy police chief since 2014. He has served with the police department for 34 years, according to the county’s announcement. In addition, Rubino is the Administrative Services Commander and Internal Affairs Coordinator.
When asked what makes Rinehimer, the former police chief, qualified to oversee the police, fire and social services departments, Stevens wrote in an email Rinehimer is “well respected” and has a “strong desire to help others and to serve” the community.
“What made me feel that he was a good fit for this position was his approach to problem solving and working with people that I have observed over the past 2 years,” Stevens wrote in an email on Jan. 12. “He is an excellent communicator and works well with those that have differing opinions.”
Stevens noted Rinehimer also has experience with the police department, has served on local and statewide boards and has a “working knowledge of the county’s neighborhoods, business and residents.”
“The person selected to fill this role would not have had to work within the public safety or social services field to be successful,” Stevens added.
Rinehimer’s salary is $149,837.
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