In an email announcement Tuesday, Statesboro City Manager Charles Penny named Samuel “Kert” Rojka as the city’s next police chief.

Rojka, who retired in March 2025 after 30 years with the Tampa Police Department, will begin his duties effective Jan, 4, 2027, according to the release from Demetrius Bynes, the city's director of Human Resources.

In addition to law enforcement experience, Rojka served eight years in the military. In Tampa, he was a captain with the department and an acting major.

"I am pleased to announce the appointment of Kert Rojka as the next police chief for the city of Statesboro,” Penny stated in the release. “Mr. Rojka is an accomplished law enforcement executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience.

"During his tenure with the Tampa Police Department, he established an exemplary record of leading complex operations, strengthening organizational performance and developing high performing teams, while advancing public safety through strategic leadership, fiscal stewardship and collaborative partnerships."

Capt. Jared Akins has served as interim chief of the department since July 1, following the retirement of Mike Broadhead, who had served as chief since April 2017. Broadhead announced his intention to retire on May 15.

Akins, who joined the SPD in 2017, said at the time of his appointment that he had no interest in the position of chief.

Rojka directed Tampa Police Department’s regional law enforcement response to Hurricane Milton in October 2024, coordinating with six assisting agencies and approximately 100 sworn officers, the release stated.

Also, he created the Tampa Police Department’s first Behavioral Health Unit through strategic healthcare partnerships, according to the release.

Rojka holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Saint Leo University. He is a graduate of Leadership in Police Organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s flagship leadership development program.

The city partnered with Developmental Associates to conduct the nationwide search. The city gathered community input at a public town hall in June and held focus groups with Police Department staff. That feedback shaped the candidate profile used throughout the search, according to the release.