West Melbourne Police Swear In New Officers Jenna Hughes, Shane Popa
By Richard Wiley, West Melbourne Police Chief // August 11, 2015
37 sworn officers, 8 support staff
BREVARD COUNTY • WEST MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Officer Jenna Hughes and Officer Shane Popa were sworn into the West Melbourne Police Department on August 7 surrounded by family and friends.
Providing exceptional police services and taking a leadership role in building community partnerships are a top priority for the West Melbourne Police Department.
We subscribe to core values together with honesty and integrity, personal accountability, ownership, consistency and fairness, creativity and innovation, positive attitude, teamwork and a strong work ethic.
We are a growing, progressive agency in an energetic community and are fortunate to have a very supportive elective leadership.
ABOVE VIDEO: Recruitment video for the West Melbourne Police Department showing the department at its finest.
The City’s Police Department traces its roots back to 1959 shortly after the City was created.
Today, our Department has a staff of 35 sworn law enforcement officers and 7 support staff.
Together we are responsible for the protection and safety of West Melbourne’s residents (approximately 20,000) as well as the many visitors that come and go through our city each day.
It is important for us to stay connected within the community we serve.
It is also important that you are informed about what we do, how we accomplish our work and how you can assist us in being successful with our public safety endeavors.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
West Melbourne Police Chief Richard Wiley has been employed in law enforcement for over 35 years, most of it with the Philadelphia Police Department. He was promoted four times during his career in Philadelphia and achieved the rank of Police Staff Inspector.
Chief Wiley earned his Masters Degree in Public Safety Administration from St. Joseph’s University. During his years of exceptional service, he supervised both uniformed and detective personnel.
As a Captain he was assigned as the Commanding Officer of the 18th Police District located in the Southwest section of Philadelphia. This district was considered to be a diversified and complex area to manage and service. He was responsible for the management and supervision of 190 Police Officers, 22 subordinate supervisors and 8 civilians, servicing a population of over 150,000 people.
He embraced the community-oriented policing philosophy and focused on crime reduction and quality of life issues.
His last assignment with the Philadelphia Police Department was in the Internal Affairs Bureau, Integrity Control Unit. In this capacity he was responsible for anti-corruption issues. In addition, he was an advisor to the Police Commissioner conducting in-depth analysis and oversight of bureaus, districts and units at his direction. Once the analysis was completed, a report was generated articulating recommended changes to eliminate corruption concerns and improve the overall operational effectiveness and efficiency of the designated area.
Chief Wiley retired from the Philadelphia Police Department in 2005 to accept a position as the Chief of Police for Lower Swatara Township, Pennsylvania. Lower Swatara Twp Police Department is a full service department consisting of 16 police officers and 1 civilian serving a population of 10,000 residents. On September 9, 2012, he was sworn in as the third Police Chief of the West Melbourne Police Department.
Chief Wiley is married to his wife Gigi and they have two children; Rachel 25 years old, Marissa 21 years old and 2 grandchildren.
