One-On-One With Wetumpka’s New Police Chief
We sit down exclusively one-on-one with Wetumpka’s new police chief about how he plans to move the department forward. He was sworn in last week after the former police chief was removed from the job. Chief Danny Billingsley says for now, he’s observing how things are run at the Wetumpka Police Department, but he says soon, people will see his plan, which includes lots of changes. And it first starts with instilling trust again in the police department. There’s a new police chief in the city of Wetumpka. His name is Danny Billingsley and he has 41 years of experience in law enforcement. “I feel like I can make a difference here,” Said Billingsley. He’s a former commander with the Montgomery Police Department and most recently an investigator with the Attorney General’s office. Now he says the Wetumpka Police Department will soon be doing things a bit differently… “I think we’re going to do a lot of community policing. I think we’re going to do a lot of outreach, we’re not out there to just beat down the public, we’re also out there to serve them,” Said Billingsley. Billingsley says serving the people means officers will also have to be more visible throughout the community and work to build trust. He also wants the community to know the department is ready to move forward just weeks after former police chief, Celia Dixon was removed from her position. “We’ve put all that behind us, we started in the new, we want to build a trust and a confidence of people in this community. We want them to build a trust and confidence in me, that I’m capable of doing this job,” Said Billingsley. Part of his plan includes more neighborhood patrols. He also wants officers to get involved with children and teens in the community “Let them know that police officer is there to help them so that when they get a little bit older, they know they can go talk to that officer, instead of having to run when they see them coming,” Said Billingsley. Billingsley says throughout the week, he’ll be speaking one-on-one with officers to find out what their concerns are and also get to know them. He believes this will help start the department on a new slate. Billingsley will officially retire from the AG’s office December 1 to work full-time at the police department.
