AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) - Auburn Police Chief Cedric Anderson will retire at the end of January after 34 years in local policing. Assistant Police Chief Mike Harris will take over as Auburn’s next police chief on February 1.
Anderson has served as Auburn’s chief of police since 2020. He began his employment as a patrol officer in 1992 and has held nearly every rank within the police division including patrolman, narcotics detective, supervisor, patrol lieutenant, patrol captain, section chief for City operations and assistant chief before becoming police chief.
Department advances under Anderson’s leadership
In Anderson’s six years as chief, the Police Department has utilized cutting edge technology to improve and enhance its work and increased its capacity to provide training to outside agencies. Anderson credits the men and women with whom he has served for the department’s success and says he is grateful to the Auburn community for their support over the years.
“Thank you,” Anderson said when asked what he would say to the community he served.
“Chief Anderson has provided excellent leadership to the Auburn Police Department at every level of his career, culminating as police chief,” said Auburn City Manager Megan Crouch. “We have a better police force because of him, and we thank him for his decades of dedicated service to the Auburn community.”
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Harris brings FBI experience to Auburn
Incoming Police Chief Mike Harris is an Auburn native and Auburn University graduate who worked as a patrol officer in Auburn from 1994 through 1999. His career led him to the FBI, where he had 22 years of service before retiring and returning to Auburn in 2021 to become assistant chief of police.
Harris and his wife, Ivy, along with their three daughters, have always considered Auburn home. Harris discovered his dream to be a police officer during a ride-along with a former lieutenant of Auburn Police when he was 12 years old.
“Chief Harris is a proven leader who will continue the Auburn Police Department’s commitment to excellence in public service,” Crouch said. “His passion for Auburn and his high-level career experience with the FBI have equipped him well for this role.”
In his time with the FBI, Harris served in various assignments nationwide including 18 months as acting chief of the FBI’s Technical Surveillance and Tactical Operations Sections in Quantico, Virginia. While assigned as a special agent to the Auburn Resident Agency from 2012 to 2014, Harris partnered with Auburn Police on one of the largest animal fighting investigations in U.S. history. Harris was the recipient of 19 performance awards in 22 years, including three “Medals of Excellence,” the FBI’s highest award for exceptional performance.
New chief focuses on technology and officer wellness
As police chief, Harris will focus on expanding the department’s use of state-of-the-art technologies to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of its work. He intends to bolster the department’s investment in officer fitness, mental health, training, and leadership development.
“I’m dedicated to ensuring this community continues to be one of the safest places to live, raise your family, work, and attend school,” Harris said. “It is the number one priority for me. I feel like our responsibility here at APD is to ensure that those who live, work, and visit our community feel safe and secure here, and that happens in partnership with our citizens. We want people to feel they are connected to their Police Department.”
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