Chief Terri Wilfong takes over at Greenville PD

By April M. Silvaggio  

OCTOBER 15, 2009 4:29 a.m. (0)

The walls in Greenville Police Chief Terri Wilfong's office are being painted this week a warm muslin.

Sleek, new mahogany furniture, along with a new swivel chair that unlike its predecessor doesn't permanently sag to one side, will soon replace the scratched and aging wooden desk and other antiquated pieces used by at least three previous chiefs in what is now Wilfong's corner office on the second floor of the Law Enforcement Center at 4 McGee St.

She's brought in two designer lamps from her personal collection, a cherished black-and-white photo of her late father from his younger days as a U.S. Marine and even a few mementos from her days with the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department to make what for too many years has been a plain, vanilla space much more inviting.

Wilfong is making changes. And they won't be limited to furnishings.

Two weeks into her new command, Greenville's first female chief has introduced herself to the rank and file at roll call, showed up unannounced on the scene of a double homicide, reassigned a lieutenant to the sole task of managing police coverage for special events, looked into having video cameras installed in patrol cars, laid the groundwork to build a Critical Incident Debriefing Team and started reviewing personnel files for potential restructuring.

"You can't wait for doors to open," the 49-year-old Kentucky native says. "You've got to kick them in."

During 26 years of policing, it is a philosophy she has embraced. She's used it to her advantage, thriving in a career traditionally dominated by men.

Law enforcement is in her blood. Her father and grandfather were cops. For a while, her sister was a cop. She is married to a cop. Her 26-year-old son is a cop.

She earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Louisville, worked for a while as a deputy with the Jefferson County, Ky., Sheriff's Department, and did a stint as a Kentucky state trooper before hiring on with the Jefferson County Police Department. She was promoted through the ranks to sergeant, lieutenant and eventually captain.

In January 2003, she was part of the leadership team that built the foundation for the new Louisville Metro Police Department after the controversial merger of the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police.

She was tapped as one of the new agency's three assistant chiefs.

That promotion made her the highest-ranking woman in the Louisville Metro Police Department, which had become the largest police department in that state with about 1,700 sworn and civilian employees. At times, as many as 900 people were under her command.

It was in her role as assistant chief that she headed police operations for such events as the Kentucky Derby, the Breeder's Cup and Thunder over Louisville.

But having a high profile in the midst of a contentious and divisive consolidation had its price.

"It was like merging Chevy and Ford," Wilfong told The Greenville Journal. "One side was in favor of the merger. The other wasn't. Both agencies had longstanding traditions. The last four years were rough."

She had made some enemies along the way, and not just those who were jealous of her advancing career. It was her responsibility to make tough decisions - decisions that would never please everyone. She was responsible for terminating those who lacked the integrity to abide by the oath they had sworn to uphold.

"I had to fire people for some bad stuff," she said. "I'm not talking about someone being late to work a few times."

Some veteran officers tested to see how far they could push her.

Once, a male subordinate threatened to quit if she reassigned him to a job he didn't want. Without mincing words, she offered to help him with his resignation. Weeks later, however, that same officer was startled, she said, when she handed him a major assignment.

"I don't hold grudges," she said. "I put things behind me. But I told him that day, ‘Don't ever mistake my kindness for weakness.'"

Still, by December 2006, she'd had enough.

Her dream had always been to command a patrol division. But after achieving that goal, her thoughts had turned to the possibility of one day serving a community as its police chief.

And because she was already eligible to retire at full pension with more than 20 years invested in the state's retirement system, she was quickly approaching the point where continuing to work there was costing her money.

"It was the right time," she said.

After retiring from the Louisville Metro Police Department, she enrolled in two master's degree courses and began looking at communities along the East Coast that were advertising for police chiefs.

A friend pointed her to a Web site. It was there she learned of the opening in Greenville.

Wilfong wasn't familiar with Upstate South Carolina, but her husband, Ryan, was. Still, he hadn't visited the area in at least 20 years, he said. So the couple decided to take a look.

They spent three days here last December, exploring the downtown, driving around the county and talking with everyone they could.

"One of the things we found out was that everyone had a lot of pride in their community, and many of the people we talked to weren't Greenville natives," said Ryan Wilfong, a longtime robbery/homicide detective with the Louisville Metro Police Department who recently was promoted to sergeant over the Traffic Division.

"When Terri interviewed, she told them if they were looking for someone who would be here two or three years, they had the wrong person," he said. "We wanted to find a place where we could raise our kids, make a difference and retire as part of the community."

Wilfong dropped her application and resume in the mail in Greenville before heading back to Kentucky.

"I remember thinking that I probably wouldn't hear anything," she said.

But in January, she did. She was at the library one evening preparing for a research course when City Manager Jim Bourey called to tell her she'd been selected as one of the five finalists.

In February, she officially accepted the job and was invited to Greenville for the big announcement.

Word that a new chief had been hired had barely started to circulate in Greenville when an underground police Web site in Louisville which boasts four "members" began verbally attacking her, both personally and professionally. The site, believed to be operated by one of the officers Wilfong had fired from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, allows anyone to post unfiltered, anonymous comments.

Some of the Web site's postings targeted Greenville officers who might be surfing the Internet to learn more about their new chief.

"It made me very angry," Wilfong said. "These people are terrorists who sneak around in the middle of the night. I don't look at it anymore. I'm just not going there."

Meanwhile, those who worked closely with Wilfong in Louisville are quick to defend a woman they say has a love for people, an innate ability for policing and a drive to do what is best for the community she serves.

"Greenville has gotten a good one," said Major Troy Riggs of the Louisville Metro Police Department. "Terri cares about people. I know she is excited about meeting people in the community and finding out what their needs are. She'll also listen to the rank and file and get their input."

She is the kind of administrator who is willing to listen to new ideas, and make decisions that are in the best interest of the department and the community as a whole, Riggs said.

"She has no issue with leadership," he said. "She doesn't stray from making a decision. And her decisions will always be based on what is right. She will always err on the side of caution for what is in the best interest of the public in Greenville, S.C."

Ryan Wilfong said his wife has always expected those in leadership to lead by example.

"That's what she'll expect of those who work for her," he told the Journal this week.

Ryan Wilfong won't retire from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department until sometime next summer. In the meantime, he'll be back and forth between Greenville and Louisville frequently.

The chief's 17-year-old daughter will finish the school year in Louisville, but is considering starting her senior year in high school here this fall. Wilfong's 10-year-old stepdaughter will make the move next summer with her father.

For now, living away from her family is the toughest part of her new job. She talks to each of them over the phone several times a day.

Work will keep her busy.

She wants to get to know the community. And she wants the community to get to know her. They'll find out she is a gourmet cook who loves trying new Italian dishes. She enjoys target shooting, riding motorcycles and golfing.

But policing is her heart.

"This isn't a job," she said. "It is who are. It is what you are."

Contact April M. Silvaggio at 679-1226 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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