HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — Joe Tucker has been named the next Chief of Police for the Harrisonburg Police Department (HPD) during a news conference this afternoon. 

Tucker, the East Division Lieutenant and Crisis Negotiation Commander for the Lynchburg Police Department, has been selected as the new chief of the Harrisonburg Police Department. His first day with HPD will be February 2, 2026.

“During my first few months here, I want to listen, observe and be present,” Tucker said in a release. “I want to be respectful of the organization’s culture and focus on ways to professionally develop and grow the people who are part of this department. And I want to focus on continued, impactful community engagement – not just one-offs – where we have a relationship with our community in which we can have honest, tough conversations and hold each other accountable in making Harrisonburg a better place for all.”

Tucker’s career in law enforcement is studded with testaments to his belief in community-oriented policing, whether that be his role in founding Lynchburg’s first Violent Crime Response Team – which worked directly with community leaders and stakeholders to address needs of locals through proactive policing efforts – or his community services roles with the City of Lynchburg Safe Driving Task Force, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and other noteworthy appointments to local and state-wide boards. In addition to recognitions such as the Top 40 Under 40 Award and the Police Star, he was named the Lynchburg Police Department Officer of the Year in 2020 and the Veteran of Foreign Affairs Officer of the Year in 2024 and received the Lynchburg Meritorious Service Medal.