And then there was one.

Last week, David McGill accepted an offer to become Sedona’s newest police chief, a job he’ll be assuming shortly after the first of the year.

He said he was humbled and honored after being notified by City Manager Justin Clifton that he was chosen from seven finalists from across the country.

“I look forward to meeting and getting to know the members of the Sedona Police Department, the employees who work for the city of Sedona and the residents and business owners,” said McGill, who is currently deputy chief of the Newport Beach Police Department in California. “I have the utmost respect for my professional colleagues who competed with me in the process. They are a talented group of leaders who I am sure made the actual selection very difficult.”

Clifton said that after a lengthy selection process, he’s happy to welcome McGill aboard.

“He was the consensus top candidate in our selection process,” Clifton said. “I have great confidence that he will be a great leader and a welcome addition to our community.”

Nearly four years ago McGill and his wife, Kim, decided to invest in Arizona with the goal of eventually moving. They previously purchased a home in north Scottsdale that was waiting for them when the time was right. When the position in Sedona became available, he said they jumped at the opportunity to fulfill their dream of living here.

“The bonus in all this was the absolute beauty of the geography of Sedona, which is only exceeded by the friendliness of its people,” he said. “Kim and I have visited Sedona many times in the past and, like many others before us, fell in love with the town and its residents. This is a dream come true for us, and we are very grateful.”

Newport Beach has roughly 90,000 residents and thus, a much larger police force. But going from a larger department to a smaller one is nothing new to him. For 25 years he was with the Los Angeles Police Department, working a variety of assignments and ranks, from patrol officer, training officer, detective, sergeant and lieutenant.

“I have successfully transitioned from a very large city to a much smaller city already, so I have proven experience in this area,” he said. “So I went from a huge metropolis of well over 3 million people to a tourist-centric city of less than 90,000 and from a police department of nearly 10,000 sworn officers to less than 150.

“I have learned that the smaller the community we serve, the more engaged we are, and the better able we are to fulfill the tenants of true community policing, where the police officers are the community and the community members are the police. And, there are many similarities between Newport Beach and Sedona that will serve me well in my transition. I have learned much in my 30 years in the business that I will apply in this transition and moving forward.”

McGill said he’s had many mentors in his career and has seen successes and failures when new chiefs arrive. As the new chief, he said one often feels like there are a thousand things to do, seemingly all at once. But it is important to recognize that you cannot do everything all at once.

The most immediate priority is to take the time to really learn about the department and about the city of Sedona and its people, he said.

“Law enforcement will always be a people business, and the Sedona Police Department is made up of dedicated, hard-working people first, sworn police officers or our civilian professionals, each of whom have a story to tell, desires to meet and dreams to fulfill,” he said.

A favorite motto that he lives by is, “Mission first, people always.” He said he needs to get to know the employees first, while simultaneously studying the organization and all of its components to learn what is working and what could be improved.

“Interim Chief Ron Wheeler has done a fantastic job in pointing the department in a better direction, and paving the way for me to assume command,” he said. “I am also eager to meet with the community we serve, to learn about the policing issues that are important to them and how together we can work to improve their lives.

“Mr. Clifton has assembled an extraordinary team of professional department heads who all seem to be working in sync on behalf of the residents and visitors of Sedona. I am excited to be a part of this team, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.”