Gavin Stone | Daily Journal
Dennis Brown takes his oath of office, with Hamlet City Manager Matthew Christian holding the Bible and City Clerk Gail Strickland reciting the oath.
HAMLET — The City of Hamlet has a new chief of police.
Dennis Brown took his oath of office Tuesday evening, taking over the position from Interim Chief Anthony Moss who has served in the role since Tommy McMasters resigned in November. Brown was previously chief of police in Hertford, NC before resigning in February.
Brown said prior to the ceremony that he was excited to be officially joining the department. He’s been out in the community meeting business owners and residents to see how he can best serve them.
“We have a great police department. We’re making good strides in the community,” Brown said. “I want Hamlet to grow and to be a part of that, and key element is making the community safer so that more people visit and stay in Hamlet.”
Brown has worked in law enforcement since 1997 and has served at positions ranging from patrol officer up to chief. He has earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Pfeiffer University and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University.
The city said in a statement following the announcement of Brown’s hiring, “(Brown’s) focus on leadership, professionalism, and service will be an asset to the Hamlet Police Department.”
One of the key factors that made Brown a quality candidate in the eyes of the city was his depth of experience which included “substantial state and national trainings, including the FBI Leadership Institute and the Carolina Command College,” according to the city.
Mayor Bill Bayless and members of the City Council all welcomed him to the city Tuesday.
McMasters announced his retirement in November after 19 months as chief of the Hamlet Police Department. During that time he oversaw a significant reorganization of the department to focus more on community policing, encouraging officers to be proactive about meeting the people they serve and assigning officers to police specific areas so they could build familiarity.
In his initial statement on accepting the job with Hamlet, Brown said he intends to “continue down the [path] of success that Chief McMasters has set.” Bayless said Tuesday that Brown has “big shoes to fill.”