Wise Police Department               To Protect and Serve

Wise, Virginia is located in the Southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia with an elavation of 2685 feet.

When a new county was established in Southwest Virginia in 1856, it was named for Henry A. Wise, who had just become Governor of Virginia. The name of the county seat would evolve from Big Glades to Gladesville to Gladeville, when it was officially incorporated in 1874. Lying on the main road from the Union state of Kentucky to the vital railroad through Abingdon, it was the site of constant conflict during the Civil War.”

The Town of Wise Police Department prides itself on offering the citizens of this community a service of professionalism from well trained, well equipped police officers. Before hiring officers to fill vacant employee positions, a police entrance exam is required along with physical agility testing. An oral panel comprised of local business people and police officers conducts interviews with the candidates. An extensive background investigation is conducted, as well as a physical and psychiatric testing. This is to assure that the citizens of this community will be served and protected to the best of our ability. Once hired, all Officers are encouraged to further their education and knowledge of the law enforcement field through training provided by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Our ultimate goal is to provide this community and the people who visit it, protection and service through professional policing. It is our honor to serve this community, and we look forward to continuing to do so in the years to come.

 Notice to Citizens / Business Owners:

          Town of Wise, Virginia

The Wise Police Department and The Town of Wise, in efforts to better communicate emergency type situations to the businesses and citizens of our community, would like to introduce you to www.nixle.com   Nixle.com is a free service that allows you to receive trusted, up-to-the-minute neighborhood information for where you live, work and visit. Nixle.com is a secure site that is a community based information service provider built exclusively to provide secure and reliable communications. It is the first authenticated and secure service that connects municipal agencies and community organizations to residents in real time, delivering information to geographically targeted consumers over their cell phones (via text messages), through e-mails and via web access. Nixle.com allows citizens of the community to sign up free of charge, with the citizen only having to provide some basic information, to include how they would like to receive the information, either by text or email. The alerts are also free to receive once you are signed up, although standard text messaging rates may apply.  This is an opportunity for us here at the Wise Police Department and the Town of Wise to utilize this certified and secure communication platform to connect with the residents of our community, and keep you informed of events that are ongoing in our area, whether it is an emergency situation, or a routine public service announcement.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call. We would welcome the opportunity to be of service.Tony Bates
Chief of Police
Wise Police Department
276-328-9046