To him, it feels like he's been here longer.

"It seems like in the year that I've been here, I've had to address issues most chiefs don't even address," he said.

Those issues included several incidents in which officers shot people, one officer being shot, allegations of officer sexual misconduct, an officer cheating on a promotional test and, of course, continuing fallout from the Duke lacrosse case.

But people inside and outside the department say Lopez has made a positive difference in his first year, from changes inside the department to reaching out to the city's growing Hispanic population.

"I'm very grateful that he has continued the community collaboration we had established with our former chief," said Marcia Owen, outreach coordinator for the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham. She said that she would like to see more crime pattern data become available from the department.

Lopez said his initial impression of the department before he started work was that it was a broken organization, but once he arrived, he concluded it just needed an adjustment.

"I've come to see that I have a very positive police department," he said. "It's just something I didn't know I was going to have when I applied for the job."

Most officers are happy with Lopez's performance. They're particularly pleased by his efforts to persuade the city council to improve pay, said Andy Miller, president of the N.C. Sheriffs Police Alliance, a statewide organization representing officers.

"The officers want to feel that the leader is there for them and their best interests," he said. "And when you have a leader who is up front with their issues, they feel that their concerns are his priority," said Miller. "Morale has improved greatly."

Lopez has already has made his mark on the department. He has combined gang, public housing and park officers into four High Enforcement Abatement Teams (known as HEAT squads) to quickly respond to trouble spots. The city is now divided into a Northside (the police districts covering north Durham, east Durham and downtown) and Southside (the two districts south of downtown). He has also created deputy chief and assistant chief positions.

Currently he's working on increasing pay for officers, improving police facilities and reducing officer attrition rates.

He still believes Durham's biggest crime problem is the perception that it is a "dangerous jungle," even though among 10 similarly sized southeast cities, the Bull City ranks in the lower half for violent and property crime rates.

The department's biggest challenge, in his eyes, is showing residents it is a professional organization. He sees the department increasing its technology and improving relationships with residents within the next five years.

And yes, he still plans to be buried in Durham.

"I've bought property in Durham," he said. "I've registered my vehicles here, I have extended family who have already moved to Durham. So I'm very much committed to the city, though I haven't chosen my plot."