Lawrence Wiggins was administered the oath of office by Halifax County Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Brenda Branch as his wife Nila held the Bible and his children looked on during the city council’s Tuesday meeting.

“Congratulations and welcome,” Branch told Wiggins, the city’s new police chief, after the ceremony, “On behalf of the superior court of Halifax County and I’m sure on behalf of the bar here, we want to welcome you to our justice system here. We want you to reach out to us at any time you feel the need.”

Branch told the chief, “We will be available to you. Our elected sheriff and our elected DA are present tonight as well as other members of our Halifax County Board of Commissioners. We are here for you if you need us.”

To his family, Branch said, “We will require some of his time so thank you for allowing us to have some of his time.”

Wiggins thanked the audience for coming out. “I can’t tell you how overwhelmed I feel with the support. I’ve run into many people in the community and all have been welcoming. The staff, department heads, the city manager, the city council — everybody has just been phenomenal, extremely welcoming — helping me navigate making the change from moving from South Carolina to North Carolina. It’s just made it so much easier.”

Referring to becoming the city's first Black police chief, he said, “I understand that this may be a first — I’ve been told that a couple of times — and I do feel the weight of that. But I’m here for the community — nothing more, nothing less. Everything I have is for this community and I intend to show that in my actions and my commitment to make sure this community is a community that we can all be proud of.”

• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
•  

Intermediate law enforcement certificate presentation

In awarding Office Todd Ryan Stephenson his intermediate law enforcement certificate after taking the oath, Wiggins told the audience, “I truly believe in professionalism. I believe in being a master of your craft.”

He said, “We’ve had a number of officers at the Roanoke Rapids Police Department not just settle for their basic certification but who have pursued training and education in pursuit of their intermediate certification and their advanced certification.”

When he first began his duties as chief, Wiggins said, “I found out how many officers had done that work and it made me feel proud because when the community sees us they expect excellence.”

Several officers have come to him with ideas about grants and Stephenson is one of them. “My exact words to him were you found it, write up, pursue it, and we’ll support you in any way.”

Stephenson was pursuing equipment through grant funds that required no city match. “He did that on his own. He’s not the only one, there’s been others, but he took it upon himself and that’s what I want for the police department — ownership.”

Said Wiggins: “This isn’t my department. It’s our department. This isn’t my city. It’s our city. The same goes with the citizens so when something happens it’s our collective responsibility to ensure we do whatever we can to make sure this city is safe and I want to congratulate Officer Todd Stephenson on obtaining his intermediate law enforcement certificate from the North Carolina Department of Justice Education and Training Standards.”