As historic public safety leaders take the helm in the county, a joint swearing-in ceremony was held Tuesday at Wheaton High School.
Fire Chief Corey Smedley is the county’s first African American fire chief, and Police Chief Marc Yamada is the first Asian county police chief. Both assumed their positions in July.
“I’m committed to making sure that this department keeps improving, keeps advancing, keeps moving forward,” said Yamada, who lives in Brookeville and is a Wheaton High School graduate.
Yamada said he truly believes that technology and innovation are the keys to improving law enforcement. He is committed to expanding the police department’s drone program, and enhancing other camera programs like automated traffic enforcement. He mentioned distracted driving, pedestrian safety, and noise abatement. He also wants to improve internal and external communications.
Smedley, whose experience comes from outside Montgomery County and who recently moved into the county, said his core principles are “faith, family, and fidelity.” His faith provides the moral compass that guides his dedication and actions, his family is his foundation, and he is loyal and committed to a mission that serves the public. Previously, he was Fire Chief for Alexandria in Virginia and Deputy Fire Chief for Prince George’s County.
“We must advance our thinking to recognize that true safety in the modern era and beyond is about more than response times,” Smedley said. “It’s about our ability to prevent emergencies, educate our community, and deliver the right resources at the right time.”
“It’s about being proactive instead of just being reactive,” Smedley said. In addition to the traditional role of firefighters, he said, the county’s fire and rescue service personnel are also healthcare providers including more than 2,300 medical professionals, emergency technicians, and paramedics.
It is the first time both the fire and police chiefs were sworn-in together in the county.
“We’re a forward-thinking county, and with Marc and Corey we have two forward-thinking leaders,” said County Executive Marc Elrich.
“Their leadership and dedication to public service inspires those around them,” said County Councilmember Sidney Katz.
“We have the right leaders at the right time to lead these two departments and to lead our county,” said County Council President Andrew Friedson.
