Chris Kirk sworn in as New Smyrna Beach’s 16th police chief

Chris Kirk was officially sworn in as the 16th police chief of New Smyrna Beach during Mayor Fred Cleveland’s State of the City address. The mayor invited Chief Kirk and his spouse to the podium and administered the oath; Kirk recited the oath of office and accepted congratulations from the audience.

Kirk has served roughly 21 years with the department and was described in the address as a hometown candidate promoted after a national search. The mayor noted Kirk’s background across patrol, training, investigations and administration, and credited his prior role as deputy chief and as the department’s training coordinator and public information officer. "After a national search, the city manager concluded our best candidate for chief of police is right here in New Smyrna in the person of Chris Kirk," the mayor said.

The swearing-in followed public acknowledgements of the city’s public-safety partners and a broader discussion of department changes, including restructuring of zones, a revived drone program and increased traffic enforcement. The mayor and chief framed these steps as part of efforts to improve public safety and traffic flow during peak events.

Next steps: Chief Kirk will assume leadership of the department and implement the operational changes described in the address; no formal votes or policy changes were recorded in the transcript.