Updated Sept. 13, 11:42 a.m.

Sunset Valley City Council voted unanimously last night to appoint Lenn Carter as chief of the city's police department.

"We are very excited to have a great candidate come though," Mayor Rose Cardona said. "We wanted to have a fresh perspective, which is hard to do when hiring from within. We wanted somebody new to come in and tell us what we need to do differently to improve our department."

Carter currently serves as the deputy police chief for the Denton Police Department and has 24 years of experience managing a variety of internal bureaus. His primary goal as Sunset Valley's newest police chief is to foster a sense of trust between community members and the police department, he said.

"I want to increase the community engagement and build trust within the department and with the community as well," Carter said. "I am extremely excited about this opportunity. We are going to go places in this police department."

Cardona also thanked interim Police Chief Lt. Rich Andreucci who applied for the job but was not appointed.

"You made it past so many officers and even chiefs who have served longer, and I think that says a whole lot about you," she said. "That's really important to the entire community as you continue to serve. You stood up and participated, which you didn't have to do."

Council Member Ketan Kharod, who acts as the council's liaison to the city's Public Safety Committee, commended the Sunset Valley Police Department for maintaining a high level of service to the community following the April departure of longtime Chief Sean M. Ford.

"As far as residents are concerned, I didn't notice any drop-off of service to the public," Kharod said. "It speaks a lot to the professionalism of the department that during a time of transition there wasn't a downturn."

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Published Sept. 8, 12:57 p.m.

The appointment of Lenn Carter as Sunset Valley's new police chief is slated to take place during the  Tuesday, Sept. 12 city council meeting.

Carter is currently the deputy police chief in Denton, a city north of Dallas. He has more than 24 years experience in law enforcement with the Denton Police Department and prides himself on keeping "lines of communication open between my department and the citizens that we serve," his cover letter says.

Following interviews of finalists which took place in late August and early September, the city's review panel recommended Carter be named police chief of the Sunset Valley Police Department. The job opening follows the retirement of long-time Sunset Valley Police Chief Sean M. Ford in April.

Carter's annual salary will be set at $115,000 plus educational incentives and certification pay under the current city salary and benefits plan, according to city documents. His first official day will take place no later than Oct. 16, however he will be available to meet the citizens of Sunset Valley Oct. 4 during the city's National Night Out Against Crime event.