Chief Penn Announces Deputy Chief Appointments

ARLINGTON, Va. – Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn is pleased to announce the appointment of Captain LaTasha Chamberlain and Captain David Giroux to the position of Deputy Chief of Police.

“Deputy Chiefs Chamberlain and Giroux bring extensive knowledge, experience and insight to their new roles as executive leaders within the police department,” said Chief Penn. “Throughout their careers, they have earned the respect of officers and community members because of their demonstrated leadership and commitment to problem solving through community collaboration and proactive policing initiatives. Each are forward thinking and I am confident they will continue our agency’s longstanding legacy of providing the highest quality professional police services to Arlington’s residents, visitors and businesses.”

The appointments follow the retirements of two long-term Deputy Chiefs. Deputy Chief Daniel Murray, the agency’s longest tenured member, retired in January 2023 following 45 years of dedicated service and Deputy Chief Michael Dunne retired in June 2022 following 38 years of dedicated service. Throughout their careers, each made significant impacts on the direction and leadership of the police department and leave impressive and lasting legacies both within the agency and our community. We are grateful for their years of exceptional service and wish them they very best in retirement.  

Highlights of Key Duties

Deputy Chief Chamberlain will assume command of the Operations Division and will be responsible for:

• Establishing and maintaining public safety in Arlington County by providing effective administration and specialized support services to the Patrol, Tactical Operations, and Special Operations Sections of the department
• Providing and managing the necessary resources to establish and maintain peace and order in Arlington
• Providing specialized support and assistance in order to significantly assist and address law enforcement activities and missions critical to the reduction of criminal activity

Deputy Chief Giroux will assume command of the Criminal Investigation Division and will be responsible for:

• Overseeing all criminal investigative and analytic functions for the department: Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Property, Organized Crime and Homeland Security.
• Working with local, regional and federal partners to maximize investigative functions and ability to resolve investigations through successful prosecution.
• Ensuring the Chief’s vision for department’s Crime Prevention and Control initiative is supported through selection of qualified investigative personnel and ongoing training for Division personnel
• Providing leadership to Department’s Wellness and Safety programs to mitigate personal and professional stressors impacting sworn and non-sworn personnel

Deputy Chief LaTasha Chamberlain

LaTasha Chamberlain moved to Northern Virginia as a military spouse post September 11, 2001 and began her career as a Police Officer to serve the Arlington County community.  She completed her undergraduate studies at Texas Christian University in Criminal Justice and is currently a participant in the Cornell University Executive Leadership Program. Prior to joining the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD), she served as a Captain at a Texas Correctional Facility and facilitated programs to socialize individuals to be successful and productive members within their community.

In her over 20 years with the ACPD, LaTasha has held a variety of roles as an officer and supervisor across all Divisions within the Police Department, as well as in the Office of the Chief, including: Patrol, Community Policing, School Resource Officer and Internal Affairs. Her commitment to the department’s key initiative of officer wellness has included being innovative and creating a space for officers to improve and maintain their physical fitness.

As a Police Captain, she served in the Support Management Section and the Office of Professional Responsibility. She was appointed by the County Manager to the Police Practices Group and currently serves as a liaison to the Community Oversight Board (COB). She led the development of the ACPD training curriculum to the COB to provide transparency on who our police department is professionally, and the high standard of excellence required of department personnel.

LaTasha is committed to the safety of our community and has been recognized by the department and community organizations for her unselfish execution of life-saving measures. Her community policing efforts extended off-duty as she coached high school sports with Arlington County Public Schools for the last 17-years, allowing her to mentor and lead Arlington youth while displaying professionalism, compassion and commitment.

LaTasha is grateful to her parents for instilling the foundation of perseverance and a commitment to excellence, while developing her strong communication skills by teaching her to, “keep her eyes and ears open and her mouth closed, because she may learn something.”

In addition, LaTasha is thankful to her husband and daughter for being a strong support system at home and professionally, and notes her success reflects their love and encouragement.

Deputy Chief David Giroux

A native New Englander, David Giroux has been an Arlington County resident and Police Officer since 1995. After graduating from Emory University with a B.A. in Political Science in 1994, David attended George Washington University (GWU), where he obtained his M.A. in Criminal Justice in 1995. Upon graduation from GWU, David was hired by the Arlington County Police Department and began the Police Academy in August 1995. In his 27 years with ACPD, David has worked in a variety of assignments as an officer and supervisor: Patrol, Community Policing, Tactical Unit, Internal Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Unit. He was a First Responder to the Pentagon on 9-11 and also provided policing services during the D.C. Sniper attacks and the Anthrax attacks. He has been a certified trainer throughout his career on topics such as Defensive Tactics, Active Shooter, Taser, Physical Fitness, Officer Mental Wellness and Leadership. He is a graduate of the National Security Executive Leadership Program at the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs.  

As a Police Captain, he served as the First District Commander, Operations Support Commander, Patrol Commander and the first-ever Commander of the Office of Wellness and Safety. David is the founder of the Department’s state-accredited Peer Support Team. This team of dedicated officers receives training on group and individual crisis debriefing and suicide prevention to provide assistance to police officers and other first responders throughout the National Capital Region (NCR) who are struggling with personal or professional stressors and traumas. David has spoken across the United States on officer wellness and suicide prevention for law enforcement. He is the department’s coordinator for an ongoing research project with the Cummings Foundation for Behavioral Health on Officer Wellness and has developed mental health programs for First Responders though local medical providers and an equine facility.  

David enjoys serving the community where he lives and derives the most satisfaction from his community engagement and seeing the courageous and professional work done by ACPD officers every day. Great people doing great work! David derives a lot of his motivation from his family members who have a long legacy of public service in the U.S. Navy, education, and municipal and state government.

David participates in a wide variety of outdoor and fitness activities and frequently utilizes Arlington’s many recreational trails, pools and facilities.  David also enjoys spending time with his wife (whom he has known since kindergarten), visiting family in New England, reading and attending sporting events.  

Media Contact

Public Information Officer
Ashley Savage
703-228-4331

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