Morehead's new police chief, Bobby Walker has a short but commanding list of objectives.
“My goal is to regain the public's trust in the police department,” the city’s top cop said.
He said in many cases lawbreakers have not been held accountable for their actions and he wants to make sure the public knows that offenders will answer for their crimes.
Although he has only been on the job for two months, Walker said he has already contacted the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Department of Justice for help with the drug dilemma in the small college town and has been assured that they will give him a helping hand in fighting drugs in Moorhead.
Walker added that people have become comfortable with selling drugs in the community, likely because no one has knocked on their doors and as a result they have become relaxed, “But they are going to have a bad headache real soon,” he said.
Although drugs is a major issue, Walker asserts that reaffirming to the public that the department is capable of doing its job, still ranks highest. And he has remained disciplined towards that end.
The well being of the people is what drives him. He recalls an encounter with a woman who brought her daughter in to file charges and when the mother asked the daughter if she wanted to file, Walker said the daughter remarked that the police were not going to do anything, anyway, but he promised the daughter if she would give him the names of the perpetrators, he would make them answer for what they had done.
And as a postscript, Walker said the offenders were arrested the next day. “And that’s one of the things the people in this community didn’t have, they didn’t have that trust anymore that the police was going to do anything when they were violated,” Walker said.
One of the first criminal cases he had to tackle involved a fight and shooting that occurred after hours at the Double Quick store, his second day in office. The persons responsible for the fight and for firing the shots have also been apprehended and had their initial appearance in court.
His strategy for future success includes doubling the size of his current force, conducting more roadblocks and increasing patrols. “Moorhead is a small town, but it is a busy little town, and there is a new day and people are going to be held accountable.”
The chief is actively seeking certified officers and he is currently reviewing candidate applications and is hoping to get at least four more full-time officers and one part-time.
Walker also cautions the citizen who may owe the town money by way of municipal fines and fees, “We’re going to be collecting on those fines,” he said.
He wants the citizens of Moorhead to feel safe. Walker remembers a quieter time when people could walk the streets, enjoy their neighbors and if a fight broke out one day, you were back on the playground together the next day, and he wants to get back to those peaceful settings.
Walker entreats the citizens not to criticize the department, “If you see something, say something,” he said, “Don’t say what the police is not doing, call the police and we will respond.” Walker said he has an open-door policy, if anyone wants to meet with him.
They can come to him or he will come to them, he said.
A native of the small town he now protects and serves, Walker attended the police academy on the MDCC campus and upon graduation began patrolling for the Itta Bena police department. After two years, he left to work in Greenville and from there he went to the North Central Narcotics Task Force, “Working narcotics is my passion, that’s been one of my strong points,” he said.
After Walker’s stint with the narcotics task force he returned to Greenville, working again for the police before moving on to the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. With his new assignment, Walker is back to his roots, “Moorhead is my hometown, where I was born and raised.”
