ACTING POLICE CHIEF GETS PERMANENT ROLE

NORTH PORT’S ACTING POLICE CHIEF, KEVIN VESPIA, WILL BECOME THE PERMANENT CHIEF.  IN A MONDAY ANNOUNCEMENT, INTERIM CITY MANAGER AND FORMER POLICE CHIEF TERRY LEWIS ANNOUNCED THAT VESPIA WILL TAKE OVER THE POSITION THIS MONTH.  VESPIA, 39 SAID HE WAS HONORED BY THE RECOMMENDATION AND REFERS TO THE NORTH PORT DEPARTMENT AS AN “ELITE AGENCY.”  VESPIA TOOK OVER AS ACTING CHIEF IN OCTOBER AFTER LEWIS UNEXPECTEDLY DEPARTED TO FILL THE VACATED CITY MANAGER POSITION.  ALTHOUGH IT WASN’T NECESSARY, VESPIA’S PERMANENT APPOINTMENT ALSO RECEIVED THE APPROVAL OF NORTH PORT CITY COMMISSION.  VESPIA JOINED THE DEPARTMENT 12 YEARS AGO AFTER SERVING WITH THE CHARLOTTE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE.   AS CHIEF, VESPIA SAYS HE INTENDS TO AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE GRANTS AS A FUNDING SOURCE FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND PROGRAMS.