Tony Sockwell’s first two months as Bruce Police Chief have been busy if nothing else.
“It was a rough first month,” Chief Sockwell said. “I got a lot of good information from the Chief of Police School, however.”
“I’ve really enjoyed it, though,” he said. “I learn something new every day.”
Chief Sockwell has led not just a change within the force, but the actual police department as well. They’ve done a major renovation inside the building to move the officers’ desks toward the front and give a more secure entry for visitors.
“We thought it would be a more efficient set up for us,” Chief Sockwell said. “(Asst. Chief) Bryan (Roberts) has done most of the work himself.”
Sockwell and Roberts currently lead a department of 12 – six full-time and six part-time officers. Two of the part-time officers aren’t certified as of now, so they must ride with a certified officer when on duty.
“I think this is where we need to be number-wise,” Chief Sockwell said. “We’ll use the part-time to fill in wherever we need them.”
Bruce Police strives to have two officers working at all times, especially from 4 p.m. until midnight.
“I never like for an officer to be out working by himself,” Chief Sockwell said. “I always want backup to be close by.”
Equipment upgrades are also a priority for the department.
“We just ordered some new equipment and uniforms and still have to get new (bullet-proof vests),” Chief Sockwell said. “The vests are our main expense right now.”
“They’re only good for a few years and then they have to be replaced,” Chief Sockwell said of the vests. “It’s an ongoing thing with those things.”
“There’s always going to be a need for more equipment,” Asst. Chief Roberts said. “As long as you have a department there will always be a need for new equipment.”
“We are in good shape with our vehicles right now,” Chief Sockwell said.
They currently have a pick-up, five Dodge Chargers and an Impala.
“We try to keep them in good condition as best we can,” Roberts said.
The biggest adjustment for Chief Sockwell since taking over the department has been a big change in duties. Instead of being out on the road working, he has spent much of his first two months in the office.
“It’s a lot of work to be done in here, taking calls and trying to put out fires as they say,” Chief Sockwell said. “People call every day complaining, and you have to listen to them and try to figure out what the problem is and help them get it worked out.”
“It’s not as much police work,” Chief Sockwell said of having to handle a lot of the office duty. “I get out when I can, but I need to be in here a lot of days. I hope when things settle down some I can get out a lot more and work with the men. I’d like to be more involved with them outside the office and find out more of their concerns and what they need to do the job best they can.”
“Our main thing is to just keep Bruce safe,” Chief Sockwell said. “We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing. The laws have changed so much that it makes it harder on us, but we’re going to do our job, whatever we need to do to make sure our citizens are safe.”
While Sockwell succeeded the late Stan Evans in Bruce, Stephen Faddock was named his successor in Derma.
Evans hired Faddock, 45, as a part-time officer in Derma in March 2017. He was named full-time chief by the Derma board of aldermen in December.
“If you’re going to be part of a community you need to be all the way part of the community,” Chief Faddock said. “I live here. I raise my kids here. I want to make sure it’s safe. Not that someone else might not be able to do a better job, but somebody had to be willing to step up and do it.”
Faddock said it was important to him that someone that knew the community well continue what Chief Evans had initiated in Derma.
“When Stan Evans had the job he put some really good things into place and bringing someone in from the outside and throwing in a bunch of change on a community, I didn’t think was going to be beneficial,” Faddock said. “These people have been living under Chief Evans for the better part of a decade and bringing in someone new that they don’t know was just going to cause turmoil.”
“I coach most of these kids in Little League baseball, football and Upward Bound basketball. I’ve known most of these kids most of their lives. I know their parents, the community and I want to be here for them.”
Chief Faddock said he believes in community policing and the people of Derma have been supportive of it.
“We strongly believe in community law enforcement,” he said. “The people are the police and the police are the people.”
“We are a small department,” he explained. “We only have me and two other guys on the roster (Kenneth Scott Jr. and Corey Alexander). Derma is not the place it was five years ago. It’s not the Wild West. It’s a good place to live and we want to make certain it’s safe for everybody.”
Faddock and Scott work 12-hour shifts and Alexander provides backup when needed, but Faddock stressed he’s never really off the job.
“I’m available 24-7,” he said. “The county is gracious enough to come support when we need it, but we’re here and available. This community is important to us and we’re going to be here for them.”