Police appoint first female spokesperson

Police name first female spokesperson here, in 68 years.

By Lincoln G. Peters

Monrovia, Liberia, May 2, 2024 –The Liberian National Police (LNP), after sixty-eight years (1956), has appointed a female police spokesperson for the first time.

On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman, at the LNP headquarters in Monrovia, announced Madam Cecelia Clark as spokesperson and director of press and public affairs and Blessing Myres as deputy.

Madam Clark is a Liberian journalist with several years of experience. Before taking this position, she served as President of the Reporter’s Association of Liberia and Director of Television at State Radio (ELBC).

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Liberia in 2001. She graduated from the Liberian National Police Training Academy with a Basic Police Training Course and an Executive Protection Course (EPS), topping her class. She is a law student at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law.  

IG Coleman officially inducted Madam Clark and her deputy into office and said that after a vagarious exercise, the Police have carefully selected a new press and public affairs team to run the LNP’s communication for the coming years.

 Press and Public Affairs Director Moses Carter has been released from his post after several years of service to the LNP and Liberia to bring in a new dynamic. We continue to push for women’s empowerment. We are pleased to announce and present to you Madam Cecelia Clark as our new Press and Public Affairs Director. Also, she will be assisted by Blessing Myers,” he stated.

IG Coleman also disclosed that they will be guided by expertise from within and outside the Police, including ex-spokespersons and consultants.

According to him, there is a massive disinformation campaign against the government and the Liberian National Police that needs to be clarified to give the public a better and clearer picture of actual happenings.

Officially taking on the gable of authority and making brief remarks, Madam Clark extolled the LNP through the IG for selecting her among thousands of other qualified Liberians while expressing gratitude and appreciation to God Almighty for what she terms as favor.

“I want to take this time to thank God, above all, the LNP, the IGP, and scores of officers for preferring and subsequently appointing me as Unit 122’s official spokesperson.

This is not an incident. I hope to remain engaged with the media. I will do my best to relate to media engagement. I will do my best to gain the public trust. I will do my best by being proactively involved in all activities for the sole image of the police and our country as I take my office”, she pledged.

Meanwhile, former Police Spokesperson Moses Carter is being redeployed in another capacity at the National Police Headquarters. Editing by Jonathan Browne