Peter Newsham

Chief Newsham was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and grew up in Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the College of Holy Cross, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law. Newsham is currently a member in good standing of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Associations. He has attended numerous police executive trainings and seminars and was actively involved in the Major Cities Chief’s Association, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Police Executive Research Forum. Additionally, Newsham has attended the Harvard University’s Public Safety Summit, the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) training on Law and Society, the ADL’s National Counter-Terrorism Seminar in Israel, and is a graduate of the FBI’s National Executive Institute.   

In 1989, Chief Newsham joined the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., where he served in several operational assignments before being named Chief of Police in 2016. Chief Newsham retired from the Metropolitan Police Department in January of 2021 after 31 years of service. 

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors announced Chief Newsham as the new Police Chief for Prince William County in November 2020 following a nationwide search. Newsham was sworn in as Chief of Police on February 1, 2021.