A familiar face will be the new chief of Whiteville Police starting Feb. 17.
Paul Rochenback was introduced to the Whiteville City Council Tuesday as the replacement for Douglas Ipock. He led a field of around 20 applicants for the position, City Manager Darren Currie said. Rockenbach has given verbal confirmation that he will take the job, Currie said.
“I am pleased that Whiteville is bringing a good man home,” Currie said.
Rockenbach was with the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office for a number of years, advancing to lead homicide investigator. He was director of the Criminal Justice Program at Southeastern Community College, and later served as Chief of Police in the town of Northwest.
The Marine Corps veteran is currently Chief of Counterintelligence in the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota.
The prospective chief has a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration from Liberty university and a Masters in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security from the same institution. He is enrolled in the Liberty University doctorate program.
City officials had to make some administrative changes to hire Rockenbach; since he has been out of state for an extended period of time, he will need to renew his North Carolina Law Enforcement Certification. The city made similar adjustments for Jeff Rozier, who was certified in Maryland and preceded Ipock. He will ready for duty after routine background and reference checks.
“Mr. Rockenbach will be hired as the Department Head of the Police Department,” Currie explained. “Upon completion of his annual in-service training, his police certificate will be valid again. At that time, he will be sworn in as the Chief of Police.”
Rockenbach’s wife Allison is an educator.
Be the first to comment