Mike James, who was recently named chief of the Leland Police Department, hopes the community will develop a new perception of the department following changes in the administration.
Those changes, James said, began on his first day at the helm, and will continue.
James said Leland officers were looking for leadership to adopt a new philosophy—one geared toward serving the people and the community instead of an administration that is self-serving.
“Before I came here there was a lot of bad press,” said James. “And what I have found [in] putting a new administrative team in place [is] these guys wanted to be a community-oriented police department.”
Leland Town Council made James’ role as chief official at a meeting Thursday, Nov. 15, but James has been serving as interim chief since February.
“Everyone is very pleased he has been appointed. We are very happy. We look forward to the changes that may come,” Lt. Joseph Pierce said.
Peirce said several officers looking for jobs elsewhere before James came along.
“To my knowledge none of them are looking for jobs today. They have decided to stay because the change in leadership, and they actually see an upper echelon that cares and has their interest at heart,” Pierce said.
“I think the biggest change you’ll see is the attitude of the officers. It affects their interaction with the public,” James said.
One of the first things the department did was implement a community policing officer.
“We got him out here working [with] the different organizations, civic groups and HOAs… he has worked very closely with those folks and really helped us tremendously in rebuilding that bridge between us and the community,” James said.
James said one long-term goal is to expand the community police program, but that expansion depends of the growth of the town.
The department has recently added L-3 camera systems in all Leland police vehicles—a recording system that tracks audio and video on each car and allows the department to view the recording or make copies, if needed.
Protocol requires officers to activate the camera while on duty. Even if an officer is out of the camera’s sight, the audio from the microphone will capture the sounds, James said.
“So now when a citizen comes in or calls with a complaint, we have access where we can see or hear exactly what happened on that particular call or vehicle stop,” Pierce said. “It’s been well worth the effort. It has corroborated some of the complaints that we got. It has also saved quite a few officers from some unnecessary punishment. So it works both ways.”
James said he is excited about the new changes.
“My wife and I are both very happy…we came down here a year and a half ago to try to start a new life and we truly have been blessed,” said James. “Being the Interim chief for the past eight months has been a wonderful opportunity for us, but we wanted to be able to stay. And so, we were real excited when I got promoted.”
Before serving the Leland Police department James served as auxiliary deputy with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office.
James has a master’s degree in criminal justice from South University and an advance law enforcement certificate from North Carolina Criminal Justice and Standards, as well as the North Carolina Sheriff’s Training and Standards. He is a certified law enforcement instructor for the State of North Carolina, who specializes in rapid deployment.
James said that department heads will never just sit back and say, “things are straightened out.” If there needs to be a change in direction in some aspect of the department, it will happen, he said.
The main focus is to continue to provide professional law enforcement for the citizens of Leland and the people who come to the community, James said.
Reach Christina Haley by calling (910) 772-6337 or by emailing Christina.h@portcitydaily.com.
