Norristown Police Chief: “I Want To Be Part Of The Solution.”

NORRISTOWN, PA —When Derrick Wood was growing up in the Francisville neighborhood of North Philadelphia, the area transformed from a family-friendly place into a haven for crack dealers to peddle poison.

It was the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the drug dealers were abundant in the 23-block area just north of Fairmont and the Art Museum.

Wood wanted no part of the crack epidemic.

Wood said he learned about DARE — Drug Abuse Resistance Education — while he was a student at Murrell Dobbins Career and Technical Education High School.

DARE, a nationally renowned program, provides students with tools to avoid drugs, gangs and violence.

“I wanted to be part of the solution,” said Wood, now 44 and Norristown's police chief. “I wanted to help.”

How it all began

Growing up, Wood said, he admired his cousin, Leddie James Brown, a Philadelphia police officer who was on patrol, and thought maybe he would become a police officer.

Brown died at age 30 on Dec. 11, 1997. He was riding a motorcycle to the Thanksgiving parade in Philadelphia when he was struck by a vehicle in Hunting Park. He died 15 days later.

Wood has a newspaper story about Brown framed in his office.

“I think about my cousin every day,” Wood said. “He was a hero.”

Wood went on to graduate from the Philadelphia police academy and then land a job with the Philadelphia Police Department in September 1998.

“It was the perfect job,” Wood said. “It was a calling. I love coming to work.”

Wood worked his way through the ranks to the rank of inspector, commanding the Southwest Police Division, overseeing 800 police officers.

“All of my officers were good police officers,” Wood recalled. “We had good relationships with the community. The violence began to escalate. It was challenging.”

Protests in Philadelphia

Five days after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, there were protesters in Philadelphia. Some people looted stores in downtown Philadelphia and fought with police.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds.

During the protests, Wood was hit in the face with a brick. Wood said he had surgery on his nose and has recovered.

Wood said he did not believe the people who lived in the neighborhoods where his officers covered were involved in the violence.

“We get to know the people in our neighborhood,” Wood said. “They are good people.”

Woods suffered from another tragedy when his nephew, Tyshawn Woods, was fatally shot in the Logan section of Philadelphia on June 8, 2020, at age 22.

“This was a sad time in America,” he said. “Philadelphia is a great city. The police are hard working. We worked as a team.”

New Job

After working for 23 years and eight months for the Philadelphia Police Department, Wood landed a job as chief of the Norristown Police Department. He was selected out of 30 applicants and earns an annual salary of $155,763.

Wood has a master’s of business administration and a bachelor of science in business administration from Holy Family University. He started his new position on Dec.21.

Wood said that all of his experience in Philadelphia prepared him to serve a chief in Norristown, leading 70 officers and 30 civilians.

The chief said Norristown is similar to Philadelphia with its diverse population in an urban setting.

In the first four months on the job, Wood said, he has been meeting the residents in the community, the officers and other officials.

He gets to know the community hosting “Coffee With A Cop” meetings at Dunkin’ Donuts in downtown Norristown.

The chief has responded to several homicides, mostly involving domestic disputes.

The most prevalent problem, he said, is vehicle theft due to motorists leaving their vehicles running and unattended for long periods.

“People are leaving their cars running unattended,” he said. “We need common sense.”