Norristown Municipal Council has selected Derrick Wood, a Philadelphia Police Department veteran of two decades, to serve as Norristown’s new chief of police, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY.

“I’m excited,” said Wood. “What lured me to the city was the diversity, strong community, the leadership, the city is on the rise, and I just wanna be part of that and help strengthen the relationship between the police and the community.”

Wood, who has an MBA and an undergraduate business degree, wants to make the city safer. He believes this will require both an all-hands-on-deck approach from police offices and the involvement of the public.

His position is that bad neighborhoods do not exist, just people doing bad things.

Wood also emphasized his role in Philadelphia’s Group Violence Intervention program. This works on reducing gun violence in Philadelphia by including community support, social services, and partnerships between law enforcement and communities to “focus on the small and active number of people driving the violence.”

Wood is replacing Mark Talbot, who left after serving as the chief of police for eight years to take over as the top cop in Hampton, Virginia.

Read more about Derrick Wood, the new Chief of Police, in WHYY.