Goodman leads city’s community policing
With 15 years of police experience under his belt, Sgt. Bill Goodman is heading up the Manassas City police Community Services Section, following the retirement of the first man to hold the post.
The job was recently vacated by Sgt. Marc Woolverton, who spent 19 years with the Manassas police.
Goodman, a Columbus, Ohio, native graduated from the University of Dayton in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He married his college sweetheart Marcia — a Fairfax native — and they settled in the Northern Virginia area.
Together the couple has four sons — ages 11, 9, 6 and 3.
“My wife is a saint,” he said.
The eighth of nine children, Goodman began his career as a patrol officer. He stayed in that job for two years. After his patrol work, he moved to the Manassas motorcycle unit. As a motorcycle officer, the worst enemy is the weather, Goodman said.
Goodman then moved on into the ranks of the detectives, investigating property crimes and crimes against people.
“I enjoyed being a detective,” Goodman said. In that capacity, he learned a lot about the criminal justice system and enjoyed the “challenge,” of the work, he said.
Goodman then worked as a patrol sergeant for three years, and as a community police officer in Georgetown South.
He says he is looking forward to all of the challenges associated with being a community services sergeant.
“It’s a completely different aspect of police work,” Goodman said. “I hope to carry on what Marc started.”
The community services sergeant is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the DARE program, school resource officers, Crime Solvers, public information, crime prevention, neighborhood watch, and any public-relations oriented task.
“I have big shoes to fill,” Goodman said.