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Marquez James became Brundidge’s new police chief in January and said he wants to focus on improving the department’s training and technology.

James succeeds former Chief Moses Davenport. James said Davenport had many years of dedicated service to the community and he wanted to grow what Davenport had started and put his own mark on the department.

“We’re working on rebuilding right now,” James said. “We have eight total officers, but we’re looking for two more officers and an investigator. We also want to do more training and improve our technology.”

James said right now, community outreach was a main focus for the  Brundidge Police Department.

“We want to reach out to the community and start building good relationships with the community,” James said. “We want people to know we’re not just here to arrest you, we’re here to help you too.”

James said the is also focusing on traffic safety. He said the department had been actively working of traffic enforcement to cut down on speeding.

“We’ve been making a lot of contact with motorists and trucks,” Jame said. “We really want to slow down traffic to keep the downtown area safe.”

James said more training for officers was also a priority, especially in domestic situations.  He said the BPD had also been increasing patrols in areas of town to increase the police visibility.

He said the department was also actively recruiting.

“If you’re looking for a job in law enforcement and want to give back to your community, Brundidge is it,” James said. “We have a family atmosphere here and are really committed to the community.”