Mayor Harris and City Council will honor retiring Police Chief Polo Afuvai on April 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

With mixed emotions, the North Ogden Police Department announces the retirement of our Chief of Police, Polo Afuvai.  Chief Afuvai has been a stalwart supporter of public safety in North Ogden, and is well known throughout the state for the time and effort he has put forth on behalf of our community.  A native of American Samoa, he was raised in Hawaii, and came to Ogden to play football for Weber State College.  After a notable college football career, he chose to make the Ogden area his home.  After working as a patrol officer for Weber State College and spending ten years as a patrol officer and detective for the Ogden Police Department, he was hired in 1982 as Chief of Police for North Ogden.  Chief Afuvai has guided the police department through several high profile criminal cases, and has led the department as the city experienced tremendous amounts of growth.  Throughout his tenure, North Ogden City has been ranked as being among the safest cities in the state.  Chief Afuvai has participated in numerous local and state-wide law enforcement related committees, and is past president of the Utah Chiefs of Police Association.  Throughout his tenure, he consistently set a good example for those around him and has been an excellent advocate for North Ogden City.  He was recognized for his contributions to law enforcement when he was awarded the Utah Police Chief of the Year in 2003.  Chief Afuvai has consistently demanded the highest degree of professionalism from the officers under his guidance.  He led by example, and was always willing to share of his knowledge and experience to help those officers working for him learn and improve.  As a result, many of these officers found that they were able to exceed their own personal limitations.  His presence tended to have a calming effect in stressful and agitated situations, and his wit, sense of humor and genuine respect for others is apparent to all who know him.  He has been an advocate of community-oriented policing, and has regularly encouraged officers to be out in the community, getting to know the residents, and learning from them what concerns they have that the police department could address.  Throughout his career, he also made it a point to encourage those working for him to take care of their own families.  Chief Afuvai will be missed as he moves on to new opportunities, and we hope he enjoys spending his new-found free time with his wife, children and grandchildren.  Thank you Chief Afuvai for the many years of dedicated service you have provided to North Ogden.