Lexington’s new Police Chief Lawrence Weathers is sworn into office and begins his first day on the job Monday.
Lawrence Weathers raised his right hand and was sworn into office Sunday. Chief Weathers is well known in the department, he retired from the force in 2016 after 27 years of service. He then took a job with Fayette County Public Schools, heading up law enforcement there. He thinks both jobs have prepared him to take on this leading role. “Many people don’t know but Fayette County Public Schools law enforcement and the Lexington Police Department have been close partners for a long time. I think that a lot of the things our school officers know about the youth can easily be transferred over to the Lexington Police Department.”
Chief Weathers says this is a dream come true in the city he’s always called home. “Looking out there and seeing all the people here that basically I grew up with. I came home with a lot of them on the police department and for 27-years they’ve been my friends.”
Weathers succeeds Mark Barnard, who retired from the department in early January. He plans to spend his first day meeting with staff and then hit the ground running, meeting with city leaders and citizens of the community to hear their needs and concerns about the future of Lexington.