Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad announced a key appointment to her executive command staff. Dave Morris has been named to the civilian position of Chief of Staff. Mr. Morris, a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County, will be an advisor to the Chief, supporting the daily activities of the Chief’s Office and providing his expertise on legislative matters, public policy and organizational strategic planning. His appointment is effective November 15.
“Dave has honorably served the community as a distinguished public safety professional for the past 36 years. He brings a tremendous track record of integrity and leadership to our agency,” said Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad.
Chief Morris has served the past decade as the Chief of Police for the Town of Riverdale Park in Prince George’s County. Prior to that role, he served 26 years with the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
During his tenure with PGPD, Chief Morris held several command positions, serving as the Commander of the Special Enforcement Section, Commander of the Hostage Negotiation Team and Commander of the Tactical Section, all within the Special Operations Division.
Upon promotion to Captain, he served as the Commander of the Training and Education Division and the Director of the Community Policing Institute. He was later promoted to the rank of Major, where he was responsible for all patrol activities, investigations, special assignments, robbery suppression efforts and administrative duties within District V – Clinton Station.
Chief Morris served the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) as the First and Second Vice President and served as the MCPA President from 2016-2017. He also served as the co-chair of the MCPA Legislative Committee for 10 years, working with the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association in the development of public policy.
Chief Morris holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a graduate of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS), the Police Executive Research Forum’s (PERF) Senior Management Institute for Police, and the FBI National Academy Session 255 where he was selected by his classmates to serve as class spokesperson upon graduation.
Chief Morris is a veteran of the United States Navy.
