The Port Richey Police Department has a new chief.
Robert Lovering was with the Tampa Police Department for 29 years before taking office Monday as Port Richey’s chief of police. Lovering has lived in Pasco County for the past 21 years.
“It was an opportunity to do something in my backyard and bring my experience from a larger department to a smaller department,” he said.
Lovering comes to the department amid a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into the department’s administration practices involving former Police Chief Dave Brown. Among the tasks on his agenda is to repair the tainted reputation of the department, as well as gain the trust of his officers.
“Trust is earned, and it’s going to take a while for them to trust me, but I do believe that they trust the fact that I know what I’m doing,” Lovering said.
Another big task on his hand is to handle drug problems in the city. Lovering, who was the TPD narcotics commander, plans to use his experience in narcotics to crack down on the issue.
“The officers have to get the tools that they’ve never had in the past to deal with narcotic issues, and that comes with training,” said Lovering.
Lovering also plans to partner with other law enforcement to weed out prostitution, but one his biggest partnerships will be working with the community.
“We can’t do police work without everybody: the business owners, the residents and the community," he said.