Stephan Hudson, a 30-year veteran of the Prince William County Police Department, was sworn into office Friday afternoon as the new chief of police.

Hudson's wife held the bible as Judge Rossie Alston of the Court of Appeals of Virginia administered the oath. He is only the third chief of police in the county's history, preceded most recently by Charlie Deane, who served for 24 years, and George Owens before him. Both stood near Hudson as he took the oath of office. 

"As we move into the future, many people have been asking me what our vision for the department is and what types of things we'll be trying to achieve. We'll be talking about those as we move forward," Hudson said. "We certainly need to continue to work to meet the increasingly complex demands of workcases every day in policing. We have an ever-growing community, one of great diversity, and that's a strength I think we can rely on." 

Related story: Q&A With New Chief of Police Stephan Hudson

Hudson also alluded to a difficult start to the year for law enforcement in Virginia, with the death of Prince William County Police Officer Chris Yung, the shooting of Alexandria police officer Peter Laboy, a Fairfax County police officer who was struck by an allegedly drunk driver, and the recent shooting death of Virginia State Police Officer Junius Walker. 

"No reason, no sense. This is a dangerous job. We don't always know the types of things that we're going to step into from one call to the next," Hudson told the other officers. "But I know that you all do it selflessly, with great sacrifice and dedication. And your courage inspires me every day."