Ronal W. Serpas, Ph. D.
Chief of Police
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department
Ronal W. Serpas, was appointed the sixth and youngest Police Chief in Metropolitan Government history in January 2004. He is now a 27-year law enforcement veteran, having served as Chief of the Washington State Patrol for 2½ years before coming to Nashville. Prior to his tenure in Washington, Chief Serpas retired as the Assistant Superintendent of Police and the first Chief of Operations of the New Orleans Police Department leading all patrol, investigative and community-policing functions. Chief Serpas received his Doctorate in Urban Studies, with an emphasis in Urban Crime, from the Louisiana State University at New Orleans. He is also a graduate of the 25th Session of the FBI National Executive Institute.
During Chief Serpas’ tenure in Nashville, overall major crime has fallen each year to levels not seen since 1989. The year 2007 represents the fourth consecutive year that crime reports and the crime rate has fallen in Nashville – the overall crime rate is at an 18 year low. While Chief of the Washington State Patrol, unparalleled increases in employee and trooper activity resulted in demonstrable and steady declines in fatality and accident rates. As the Chief of Operations of the New Orleans Police Department from October 1996 to July 2001, the City of New Orleans led the nation in violent crime reduction for the years 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
In addition to Chief Serpas’ law enforcement career, he has served as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Extraordinary Faculty, Loyola University New Orleans, teaching graduate, and undergraduate courses from 1992 to 2001. Several of his published articles on accountability-driven leadership, gun violence in America, police disciplinary systems and the need for actionable research to help guide American police executives serve as references to others who are interested in his style of management.
Chief Serpas continues to participate and contribute on the national and international level of police leadership through his service as Co-Chair of the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The IACP created the RAC in 2004 to focus attention on major issues that challenge police executives and members of law enforcement throughout the world. The RAC unites police executives and academic leaders to create and publish an annual research agenda to explore and find potential solutions addressing the many and significant concerns throughout the criminal justice system.
Chief Serpas is known for his innovative organizational techniques, accountability measures, strong advocacy of community policing and addressing quality of life matters to make a positive difference in the lives of the people the police serve. Under his present direction as Police Chief for the city of Nashville, overall officer activity and citizen satisfaction have risen dramatically, and his model of accountability-driven leadership has resulted in accelerating the Nashville police force to national and international recognized excellence in law enforcement.