King Monroe Headed to Queen City?

Will Rodney Monroe be the chosen one?

That's the question that's been on the mind of many Richmonders recently. Richmond's Chief of Police is on the short list (one of three finalists) to take the same position in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It should be no surprise that Chief Monroe made the cut that initially started out with 46 prospects. Richmond has seen a steady drop in violent crime since Monroe became chief in February 2005.

Should Monroe be chosen and accept the position, he would be taking over a city that once stood toe-to-toe with its neighbor to the north in the 1980's. Then Charlotte promptly annexed the surrounding counties, built a large airport hub for USAIR and brought in professional sports teams, subsequently stomping all over Virginia's capital city.

But with the growth came crime, lots of it. According to the RTD, Charlotte had a 15.3% increase in violent crime in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time in 2007.

While it would be tough to see Chief Monroe go, it should be commended that Richmond's Chief of Police is in the position to move on to bigger and probably more challenging times.