By Jason Canady
HOPE MILLS – Hope Mills is expected to swear in its new police chief Monday during the town Board of Commissioners meeting.
The board meets at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
Stephen F. Dollinger will replace former Chief Joel Acciardo, who retired Nov. 1. Bradley Dean has served as interim chief since Acciardo’s retirement.
Dollinger most recently served as chief of police for the Robeson County town of St. Pauls. He had worked there since December 2019.
The Hope Mills Police Department has 42 sworn officers and six civilian employees when fully staffed. It currently has 30 sworn officers, four personnel awaiting state certification and five civilian employees, said Lt. Lee Summers, the department’s operations support commander.
Dollinger is from Middletown, New Jersey, and has served in law enforcement since 1985.
During his thirty-plus years in law enforcement, Dollinger has held a variety of positions including patrol officer, canine officer and detective. He served as deputy chief of police for the Middletown Township Police Department until his retirement in 2019.
Dollinger has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, and a master’s degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
Jason Canady covers Hope Mills for CityViewTODAY. He can be reached at jcanady@cityviewnc.com. Have a news tip? Email news@CityViewTODAY.com.
