Charleston will have a new police chief by Labor Day.
Lt. Steve Cooper, who has been the Charleston Police Department's chief of detectives for more than a dozen years, will take over the chief's job, Mayor Danny Jones announced at a news conference Tuesday.
Cooper will replace Brent Webster, who, after a dozen years as chief, will become the city's public works director.
Cooper, 46, said he has mixed emotions about the appointment. He said he's excited to lead "a great group" of officers, but said he's enjoyed his current role in the department.
"I believe that I'm prepared for the job," Cooper said, "and I'm up for the challenge."
He said there will be a brief transition period but, because he's been with the police department for 23 years, he feels fairly comfortable with the change.
"There will be a learning curve for me, and I'm sure I'll learn from my mistakes," Cooper said. "That's how I've learned to master the job I have now. I've learned from my mistakes - and I have a lot of really good people."
Cooper and Webster will still be able to collaborate, though, and Cooper said he plans to ask Webster questions as they change positions.
"He's endured so many slings and arrows, and he's been through so many different experiences that I would be a fool not to draw on his counsel," Cooper said.
The two men met at the police academy in the early 1990s.
Webster, 48, will replace Gary Taylor as public works director. Taylor is retiring at the end of August, Jones said.
"I saw this as a great opportunity to spread my wings," Webster said.
The outgoing chief said he has received several offers to leave public employment and work in private security. But he said when the opportunity to work for the city in another department came up, he expressed interest.
"I believe in the city, and I want to stay in public administration," Webster said. "But I will, probably, over the next seven weeks, start realizing what I'm going to miss with the police department."
He said he's proud of how the department has served citizens, and he plans on transferring the skills he has developed over the past 12 years. He said the jobs correlate more than people might expect, because both require managing city employees and helping people.
"You've got to work with people to get things done," Webster said.
He said he's excited to see what Cooper does in the chief's role, calling the appointment a "no-brainer."
Cooper said he plans to focus on community building and reducing crime during his administration as chief.
The mayor specified that the change comes with some risk for both men, as Jones' term as mayor ends next year and the new mayor could appoint different people to both positions - as Jones himself did when he appointed a 35-year-old Webster as chief in 2005.
"When I leave, everything is up for grabs," Jones said.
He encouraged whoever replaces him to keep City Manager David Molgaard, to monitor and guide both men through the job changes.
Reach Ali Schmitz at ali.schmitz@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @SchmitzMedia on Twitter.