New police chief announced in Punta Gorda

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. -- The Punta Gorda city manager has announced their new police chief. Pamela R. Davis will be filling the position left open by the firing of Tom Lewis in August. Davis is currently the Director of the Professional Development and Training Academy for the City of Baltimore Police Department, and has served 23 years with the Anne Arundel County Police Department working up the ranks from Patrol Officer to Deputy Chief of Police. City Manager Kunik points to Davis’s leadership abilities, broad public safety background and extensive training acumen as qualities that elevated her to be the top choice. “I was impressed with her genuine demeanor and overall leadership and technical skills that will enable her to re-energize the department within as well as our extensive partnerships with the community.” Lewis was fired in August 2017 while under scrutiny from an August 2016 incident in which a Punta Gorda Police officer accidentally shot and killed a woman during a public demonstration. Officer Lee Coel, who fired the shot that killed Mary Knowlton, was fired from the department earlier this year.