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EDENTON – David LaFon, a native of Aulander, has been hired as the new Police Chief for the Town of Edenton.

LaFon, who has been a first responder for much of his life, currently serves as Captain of the Edenton Police.

Prior to joining the Edenton Police, LaFon was a 28-year veteran of the North Carolina Forest Service, retiring as Chief of Law Enforcement. He has also served as Bertie County’s Emergency Services Director, an officer for the Windsor Police Department, and an instructor for numerous area community colleges, N.C. Emergency Management and the N.C. Justice Academy.

“We are very fortunate to have been able to recruit a police chief as qualified and as dedicated to his community as David LaFon,” said Edenton Mayor Hackney High. “In his time as captain of our police department, I have found him to be very attentive to the needs of the community and to the concerns of the Town Council. I look forward to working with him as we strive to keep Edenton safe for all to live, work and play.”

In addition to his law enforcement credentials, LaFon is a volunteer firefighter with the Edenton Fire Department and has served in volunteer roles with the local Troop 164 of the Boy Scouts, the Chowan-Edenton Optimist Club, Chowan County Regional Fair, Edenton Steamers, Edenton-Chowan Recreation Department, Edenton Baptist Church and the Edenton Rotary Club.

He is also affiliated with the N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police, the N.C. Association of Agricultural Fairs, the North Carolina Chapter of International Association of Arson Investigators, and the North Carolina Juvenile Officers Association.

A 2001 criminal justice graduate of Shaw University, LaFon holds thousands of hours of training and experience in fields including law enforcement, fire response and investigation and emergency management. He was named Chowan County’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in 2023 and was inducted this year into the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor Roy Cooper.

“I am excited to work hand in hand with Chief LaFon as we continue to build local and regional partnerships while expanding the scope of our department’s efforts in both community outreach and law enforcement,” said Town Manager Corey Gooden. “This hiring emphasizes our ongoing devotion to the recruitment of high-caliber individuals to serve the citizens of Edenton.”

LaFon has expressed his enthusiasm to continue his work in Edenton and his gratitude for being selected.

“I am excited to be selected as the next Chief of the Edenton Police Department,” he says. “Growing up just down the road in Aulander, I know what small-town life is like and I look forward to helping Edenton thrive as a wonderful place to live, work, relax and retire.”

His tenure as Chief of Police begins October 1.