ALBEMARLE — On Tuesday afternoon, the Albemarle Police Department announced that Police Chief Jason Bollhorst has resigned after three years with the department.
Bollhorst previously served with the City of Newport News (VA) Police Department for over 26 years — including five years as a captain — before joining the APD in October 2021.
Penny Dunn has now been selected to serve as the APD’s interim chief as the department immediately begins the search for its next police chief. She began her law enforcement career in 1986 and joined the San Marcos Police Department in Texas in 1989, eventually rising to an assistant police chief rank.
In 2017, Dunn was appointed as the police chief for the Davidson Police Department, where she served until her retirement last year.
“Dunn brings a wealth of experience in law enforcement, including work in criminal investigations, overseeing day and night shifts, leading specialized units such as the K-9 unit, narcotics enforcement, recruiting employees, and handling cold case investigations,” the APD wrote in a press release.
“The Albemarle Police Department remains committed to fairness, compassion, and excellence in delivering police services that uphold the law and are sensitive to the community’s priorities and needs.”
Dunn was the founder and board president for the Friends of the Family Justice Center Foundation, and has experience serving on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Family Justice Center Steering Committee, the North Carolina League of Municipalities Chief’s Advisory Committee, and the board of the North Carolina Police Executives Association.
She earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from Texas State University and became a Certified Public Manager in 2011.