GARNER, N.C. (WNCN) — After nearly three decades of service in her hometown, the first female chief of the Garner Police Department is retiring, town officials announced Monday.
The retirement of Police Chief Lorie Smith will be effective May 1, according to Town of Garner officials.
Officials said Smith joined the Garner Police Department in 1997 and was promoted to sergeant in 2004. She became the first sworn female member of the department’s command staff when she was promoted to lieutenant in 2015, then became the department’s first female captain in 2020…