A veteran police officer from Texas will be the Prince George’s County Police Department’s next assistant police chief, putting the agency in the hands of two from-out-of-state leaders as it works to overhaul its policies and procedures.

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       Police Chief Malik Aziz, who was hired away from the Dallas Police Department in March, announced late Wednesday that he was bringing his longtime, former colleague Vernon Hale III to be his second-in-command.

       Hale, who has been chief of the Galveston, Tex., police department for nearly four years, will start his new role in Maryland on Nov. 21. Aziz and Hale worked together for 26 years in Dallas. Before leaving for Galveston, Hale had served as deputy chief in Dallas for seven years.

       Prince George’s County’s new police chief will be Malik Aziz, a deputy chief from Dallas

       In a statement, Aziz said the department is “navigating through difficult and challenging times, both internally and externally.”

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       “Chief Hale offers over three decades of experience, leadership, crime fighting, and community policing,” the statement said. “All of which bring value to our department and command staff.”

       Hale has received several awards for his work, including the 2019 NAACP Community Champion Award, and has taught criminal justice courses as an adjunct professor for more than a decade, according to a news release.

       Once he arrives, Hale will be tasked with helping Aziz and the rest of the executive staff manage rising crime and homicides in the county, which last week topped 100 in 2021 — the first time homicides have hit triple digits since 2008. Hale’s arrival also comes as the department works to implement the dozens of changes recommended by a police reform task force that County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) formed last year after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

       Prince George’s police reforms to include a director for race and gender equity and more data collection to track possible racial profiling

       Alsobrooks announced Aziz as the new chief after a nine-month national search. Interim police chief Hector Velez, who had previously served as assistant chief, was passed over for the job in favor of Aziz and has since retired from the department. Several others in police leadership have also left the agency in recent months, including deputy chiefs, the assistant chief and top brass overseeing major crimes and homicide.

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       “With the loss of several high command veterans and the challenging issues we’ve faced over the last two months it was necessary tap into outside talent,” Aziz said in his statement.

       It’s not unusual for departments to experience turnover when a new police chief is hired, and outside candidates often bring in trusted confidantes to fill out their executive staff.

       The department did not immediately respond to questions about Aziz’s choice to hire outside the agency.

       Aziz grew up in Texas and spent his career rising through the ranks at the Dallas Police Department. He has long been an advocate for community policing and vowed to bring that mind-set to the Prince George’s police department.

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