CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- At the end of October, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Carpenter was appointed as Chesterfield County's new chief of police. "I felt like I owed it to the citizens of Chesterfield County, as well as the staff at Chesterfield Police Department, to throw my name in the hat and at least compete for the opportunity,” Carpenter said. Carpenter's new role comes after a nearly 25-year career with Chesterfield's law enforcement. He's held various roles over the years, most recently serving as deputy chief of operations before being sworn in as chief. "It's a great team to work with," he said. "And the team that I have makes the job easy." Now as chief, Carpenter said he has big goals for the county- most importantly focusing on building a relationship with the community. "Trust and legitimacy is extremely important," Carpenter said. "And what I mean by that is to police the community and the community are the police. Our door is always open." Carpenter is the first African American police chief Chesterfield has ever had, and the ninth person to fill the position since 1914. "I recognize that is special, but I don't want people to get caught up on that," he said. "I really think it's important that whoever serves in this capacity, that they have a heart for service. They have a heart to connect with the community, you know, regardless of whatever the color of their skin is."