VINTON (WSLS 10) –The Vinton police department has officially started a new era. Wednesday was the first day on the job for Vinton's new chief of police, Thomas Foster.
Foster was sworn in Tuesday night at the town council meeting. He officially began his appointment on Wednesday.
The Roanoke native has three decades of service under his belt. Foster previously worked as a first sergeant with the Virginia state police.
Foster says he is excited to be back at home in Roanoke County and looks forward to working with the community and understanding the needs they see.
"One of the things that i want to really work hard towards like a lot of police agencies is community policing, because we can't be successful in undertaking our investigations and all policing unless we have public support and the public on board," Foster said.
Foster plans to meet with local civic groups to talk about important issues and then implement a strategy moving forward.