The Bristol, Virginia City Council on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, voted unanimously to hire Byron Ashbrook as the city’s next police chief, approving the city manager’s recommendation after a closed-session review of candidates.

The council convened a called meeting and moved into a closed session under Code of Virginia section 2.2-3711(A)(1) to discuss and interview prospective candidates for employment related to the police chief position. After the executive session, council members certified by roll call that only the matters specified in the motion were discussed.

At the public reconvening, an unidentified council member moved "that we accept the city manager's recommendation to hire Mister Byron Ashbrook as our next police chief," and the motion was seconded. The clerk conducted a roll call and council members voted in favor, approving the appointment. The transcript records the roll-call names as Barnum (or similar spelling), Holmes, Osborne, Pollard and Nave; other roll-call lines in the transcript show the names Farnam/Farnham and Bullard in different places.

Presiding Official then invited Byron Ashbrook to stand and welcomed him to his new role, saying the council "would like to say, welcome to your new role as our city of Bristol, Virginia, chief of police" and praising his "very distinguished career." The council took a photograph with Chief Ashbrook in a brief ceremonial moment.

Other routine business at the called meeting included adoption of the agenda at the start of the session and a motion to adjourn at the end; both motions passed by roll call with affirmative responses from the sitting members. No additional actions or conditions related to the police chief appointment were recorded in the transcript.

The council adjourned immediately after the welcome and photo; no date was set in the transcript for further public action related to the appointment.