Elgin cop named chief in city where Trayvon Martin slain
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ELGIN, Ill. (Sun-Times Media Wire) -
A 25-year veteran of a suburban Chicago police department has been named chief of police in the Florida city where unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin was killed.
Cecil Smith is a deputy chief of the Elgin Police Department.
Smith will be in Sanford, Fla., next week, which will mark the 1-year anniversary of Martin's death.
The 17-year-old black teenager was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch coordinator who said he was acting in self-defense. The death sparked a national outcry and led to the ouster of Sanford's police chief.
Smith says there has been a great deal of racial distrust in the Sanford community. He says "because it happened, now we have to make sure it never happens again."
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