Beaver named Seadrift Police chief in 4-1 vote

SEADRIFT— Cheyenne Beaver, 33, was officially named Seadrift’s police chief Monday night in a 4-1 vote by the city council, with Alysa Jarvis casting the lone dissenting vote.

Beaver had served as the department’s interim chief for the past seven months following the termination of former chief Marie Carisalez.

The decision came after a more than two-hour closed session, during which the council interviewed two candidates: Beaver and Larry Leon, 78. Following the deliberations, the council selected Beaver for the position.

Prior to the closed session, several Seadrift residents voiced their support for Beaver, whose family has lived in the city for generations.

"My family has been in the city for generations and has a vested interest in being here," Beaver said.

With the interim title removed, Beaver said she plans to continue strengthening ties between the department and the community.

"I want to see more community police involvement," she said. "I plan on having a civilian response to active shooter training, where it'll be open to the public, for all of the public to attend."

Beaver also emphasized the importance of fostering strong relationships with surrounding law enforcement agencies.

"I have a great working relationship with the surrounding jurisdictions," she said. "I have a great working relationship with the commissioner's office, the judges’ offices, pretty much all of the surrounding community."

Building trust within Seadrift will be a priority, she said, adding that it starts "from the ground up."

"Each call that you get, each encounter that you face, there's got to be a positive encounter," Beaver said. "That's how you spread positivity in your community."

Beaver has already implemented new training initiatives within the department, including a 30-hour mandatory dispatch training for officers.

"Each officer hired is mandated to sit in dispatch for 30 hours," she said. "It'll enable officers and dispatchers to have a better understanding of how each other works.”

Following the vote, Beaver had a message for the community that rallied behind her.

"We did it," she said. "Thank you for your support. To everyone that had faith in me, I could not have done it without you.