Meet the new chief, same as the current chief. The man leading the Ithaca Police Department for the last three months will soon take on the role, permanently.

Dennis Nayor put on a badge for the first time in 1995.

“I know what it's like to deal with issues within the community. I know what it's like to try to work through and improve thing,” said Acting Ithaca Police Chief Dennis Nayor.

Though the has been the Acting Chief in Ithaca for just a few months, Nayor spent five years as a police Chief in Oneonta.

“I know that its like to deal with violence and violent crimes, and try to come up with strategies to counteract that and minimize that,” said Nayor.

From the April arrests of Cadji Ferguson and Rose de Groat, to the recent shooting on Green Street, he recognizes Ithaca has its challenges.

“My whole career has always been challenges and to me those challenges are opportunities, I just look at those, that’s the nature of policing,” said Nayor.

Nayor wants to make relationships with the community through positive interactions; like handing out free ice cream.

“It’s amazing to see people seeing us in a friendly light, and we’re going to do that and we’re going to listen and whether its children or grownups or college students we’re part of the solution, and that’s what people will see,” said Nayor.

24 years after his first patrol shift, he still wants officers to be seen as he does.

“As the people who come to fix problems, help a situation, where children look up to us, where people in the community trust us and respect us, and that's earned and we will continue to earn it and continue to evolve,” said Nayor.

Soon he will be stepping permanently into the role of gaining trust from Ithacans. The Common Council will vote on his taking over the position on October 2.