Police Chief Lorie Smith Announces Retirement

GARNER – Garner Police Chief Lorie Smith has announced that she is retiring effective May 1, 2025. Chief Smith has led the Police Department since December 2021. She joined it in 1997 as a member of the Patrol Division and started her ascent in the department when she was promoted to sergeant in 2004.

Chief Smith has been a trailblazer throughout her stellar career. She became the first sworn female member of the Police Department’s command staff when she was promoted to lieutenant in 2015. She then became the department’s first female captain in 2017 and subsequently moved into her current role as the agency’s first female chief.

“For me, it has never been about being the police chief or being the first female chief,” said Chief Smith. “I saw this opportunity as a way to advocate for the men and women of the Garner Police Department. I wanted to support a culture where employees felt valued and supported and wanted to come to work each day.”

“It has always been my priority to ensure that all GPD employees have the resources, opportunities, training and equipment they need to grow and develop professionally,” she said. “I hope that my achievements during my career will inspire others to work hard and persevere through difficult challenges to achieve their goals.”

Reflecting on her career, Chief Smith put primary focus on the exceptional team of which she has been a part.

“I am most proud of the dedicated professionals who serve the Garner community, the high standards we achieve, the exceptional level of service we provide and the positive reputation we have established within the Garner and law enforcement communities,” she said.

Chief Smith’s service to the Police Department has been wide ranging. As a lieutenant, she commanded the Criminal Investigations Division. As a captain, she commanded the Administration Bureau through 2020, serving as the department’s backup public information officer (PIO), primary internal affairs investigator and administrator overseeing the department’s annual budget.

Before her appointment as chief, Smith led the department’s Operations Bureau with oversight of the Patrol, Support Services and Criminal Investigations Divisions. She also was the department’s primary PIO.

In addition, Chief Smith has been a field training officer, general instructor, Crisis Intervention Team officer, negotiator, team leader and team commander for the department’s Crisis Negotiations Team. She also served as a board member of the North Carolina Victim’s Assistance Network from 2016 through 2021.

Grassroots engagement here in Garner has always been a critically important facet of her work, Chief Smith said.

“The people and sense of community are what make Garner special,” she said. “The relationships I developed and nurtured over the years helped build a strong sense of community where people genuinely care about and come together to support each other.”

Chief Smith has been a member of the Garner Educational Foundation since 2015 and has volunteered with the Schools and Community Organized to Read (SCOR) program at Timber Drive Elementary.

She also has been an active volunteer with the Garner Police Athletics and Activities League (PAAL) since its inception and has served as a PAAL coordinator at Rand Road and East Garner Elementary Schools.

“I am proud of the fact I spent my entire career serving with the Garner Police Department,” Chief Smith said. “It is a testament to my level of commitment to the Garner community and the law enforcement profession. I will forever be grateful for the great role models and mentors who believed in, encouraged and supported me throughout my career.”