By Debbie Adams

Fabricio Drumond has been named interim chief of police for the Town of Vinton. He was sworn in by Town Clerk Susan Johnson during the council meeting on July 21. He fills the position of Thomas Foster who retired from the Vinton Police Department to accept a position as United States Marshal for the Western District of Virginia.

Drumond is a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He and his family moved to the United States in 1990 when he was 8 years old. As a native to Brazil, he is fluent in Portuguese but also speaks Italian and Spanish.

The family settled in the metro Boston, Mass. area where he attended school, graduating from Maynard High School in 2000.

Upon graduation, Drumond enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and was sent to Marine Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. Upon graduation, he attended the School of Infantry where he became an assaultman. He was ultimately stationed in Camp Lejeune, N.C.; however, he spent most of his time in the military deployed overseas.

Drumond achieved the rank of sergeant while in the Marine Corps. He deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, and Cuba during his service with the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines.

At the end of his enlistment, Drumond joined the Roanoke City Police Department, where he served as a patrolman.

He came to the Town of Vinton in 2009 where he has served as a patrolman, corporal, sergeant and captain. He was named as deputy police chief in February 2017, responsible for assisting in the overall administration of the department to include directing departmental operations, overseeing administrative services, and facilitating community outreach programs.

Like Foster, Drumond is a strong advocate for community policing.

He is highly regarded in the department and has earned several awards from the Vinton Police Department, including Officer of the Year and leadership awards voted by his peers.

Drumond received his undergraduate degree from Liberty University and is currently in his last semester for his graduate degree in National Security. He has attended several instructor-based schools along with leadership training to prepare him for his position.

He is married to Julianna Drumond. He has one daughter Athena, and two stepchildren, Dakota and Morgan.

Drumond was congratulated by members of Town Council on his new position within the department. Councilman Keith Liles commented that “the Town of Vinton is good hands” with his appointment.

Drumond expressed his gratitude for the appointment and thanked his family, Chief Foster, and the police department for their support.

“I am up for the challenge,” he said. “I will do the best I can to measure up to what Chief Foster has molded me to be.”