July 31, 2003 – Fitzroy Williams has been named the territory's new Narcotics Strike Force director.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull announced the appointment in a release distributed late Wednesday. The position was previously held by Carl Charleswell. The Governor's Office made no mention of when Charleswell left the position or why.
The NSF is the local law enforcement agency responsible for drug interdiction. It works closely with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI in drug cases in the territory.
Government House has had a difficult time permanently filling the top NSF post. The agency has been plagued with scandals and corruption, with four former agents indicted on drug trafficking charges in 2002 and two pleading guilty this year. Before Charleswell, the NSF director was Wayne Chinnery, who was indicted and convicted of perjury last year.
Williams was the first and only chief of the now defunct V.I. Housing Authority Police. A 21-year veteran of the Police Department, he rose through the ranks to captain before taking the housing police assignment. Late last year, he fought unsuccessfully to save the Housing Authority force from being disbanded as a cost-cutting measure. The agency's federal funding source had dried up, and the Legislature did not act to save it.
Williams holds a bachelor of arts degree in social work from the University of the Virgin Islands and a master of science degree in criminology from Indiana State University.
In the Government House release, Turnbull said he is "confident that with his experience and eagerness to serve his community, Williams will greatly contribute to the administration's ongoing efforts to eliminate the drug problem in the territory."
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