RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith resigned from his position on Tuesday afternoon.
Smith had acted as the chief of the department for two and a half years, ascending to the position following widespread riots in Richmond in the summer of 2020.
Below is a breakdown of Smith's time leading the police department.
June 26, 2020 - Amidst the protests, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announces he has hired Smith to be Richmond's new police chief. Smith comes to RPD after serving nearly 30 years in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina
June 27, 2020 - Stoney introduces smith at a news conference, calling him a "bold leader for a challenging time"
July 1, 2020 - Smith's first day on the job
February 2, 2021 - CBS 6 reports that Smith has made major changes to his command staff, firing three longtime high-ranking officers
December 16, 2021 - Richmond Coalition of Police Union calls on Smith to resign, citing low morale. Stoney tells CBS 6 he has full confidence in Smith
July 6, 2022 - Smith and Stoney hold a news conference to announce the arrests of two men they claim were planning a mass shooting on the Fourth of July. Both leaders later do interviews with national media
August 2, 2022 - Federal charges filed against suspects, nothing regarding a mass shooting
August 3, 2022 - Richmond judge asks a city prosecutor if they have information that suspects were planning a Fourth of July attack at Dogwood Dell. Prosecutor said they are not alleging that at this time
August 3, 2022 - Local charges dropped at the request of Richmond prosecutor
August 3, 2022 - Smith speaks at a news conference, maintaining that Dogwood Dell was the target and that his officers prevented a mass shooting
August 8, 2022 - Smith says he will no longer answer any questions about the alleged shooting plot and is "closing the discussion"
August 12, 2022 - United States Senator Tim Kaine says that the community is owed answers from city officials
August 16, 2022 - Smith sits down with CBS 6 and says he is "100% confident" that RPD stopped a mass shooting
September 6, 2022 - Richmond City Council has a private meeting with Smith
September 14, 2022 - Smith holds a "community conversations with the chief meeting", but is criticized for only answering select questions written on note cards and submitted to a facilitator
September 16, 2022 - CBS 6 reports that Smith was sent talking points 47 minutes prior to the July 6 news conference. Smith previously said he only got them seven minutes beforehand.
October 20, 2022 - City councilors Reva Trammell and Kristen Nye tell CBS 6 that they are still hearing low morale complaints from RPD officers. Trammell said that Smith needs to go while Nye says options should be explored to "get the department back on track"
October 20, 2022 - Smith tells CBS 6 that he has an open-door policy and that officers are invited to come and speak their minds to him
October 21, 2022 - CBS 6 reports that Smith stopped one of the lead investigators in the alleged mass shooting plot case from joining the FBI's Richmond Area Violent Enterprise (RAVE) Task Force. Smith said proper protocol was not followed
October 25, 2022 - Richmond announces that Smith has resigned and will be on administrative leave until December 31
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
