NEWS

Gastonia hires new spokesman to help tell city's story

Janiya Winchester
The Gaston Gazette
New Gastonia Police Department spokesman and public information specialist for the city of Gastonia Rick Goodale poses outside City Hall on South Street Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 17, 2021.

A veteran law enforcement officer from Maryland now has the job of helping tell the story of the Gastonia Police Department and the city.

Ricky Goodale started his new role Monday as the public information officer of the Gastonia Police Department. He will also share information with the public about other city agencies.

"I want to highlight the great work done by the men and women in law enforcement that people don't get to see on a daily basis," said Goodale.

Goodale, 51, spent 20 years as a police officer in Montgomery County, the most populous county in Maryland with more than 1 million residents and located adjacent to the nation's capital city.

He will communicate with residents of the city of Gastonia through social media, at community events, and through the media about crime prevention and criminal activity, but also sees his role as telling the story about law enforcement officers that the public doesn't often see.

"People don't get to see the stories of officers on patrol paying football with a kid or helping someone on the side of the road," Goodale said. "There's a lot of great stories I want to share that people may not know about."

Goodale 20-year law enforcement career started as a patrol officer in 1994, right after he has completed four years of active duty in the Air Force. Starting in 2015, he transitioned to the role of a public information officer for the department, as well as being a school resource officer.

His move to being a department spokesman began almost by happenstance.

“I was standing next to my supervisor at an incident when a photographer walked up to him to ask about details on the scene," said Goodale. "My supervisor seemed unsure of what to say, so I started recommending things and the photographer asked if I wanted to do the interview. I said, 'Heck no' but my supervisor started asking me if I would be interested in doing temporary media assignments for Montgomery Police."

A self-described Air Force brat, Goodale was born in Bangkok, but grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland, located on the eastern portion of Washington, D.C., with a population of about 900,000 residents.

Family relationships made him a frequent visitor to Charlotte, and he said he knew early on he wanted to retire in the state. He jumped at a chance of working here.

"The state has a lot to offer since you can go from the Outer Banks in the beach to Boone in the mountains," said Goodale.

Goodale will earn $56,898 a year in his new role with the city. He replaces Donna Lahser, who retired earlier this year after more than 25 years on the job.

Goodale has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Wilmington University in Delaware. He plans to pursue a master's degree in communications or a digital-related field.

He currently lives in Mooresville, located about 43 miles northeast of Gastonia in Iredell County.

Reach Janiya Winchester at 704-869-1842 or jwinchester@gannett.com