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Garner’s new top cop

By Barry E. Moore
Executive Editor

Garner’s new police chief is a Lynchburg, Va. transplant who is currently serving as a captain and a chief’s staff officer in that town’s police department.

Brandon Zuidema

Brandon Zuidema, 36, spent 15 years in the LPD. During that time, he managed or worked in virtually every unit: field operations, crime prevention, gang enforcement and street crimes, negotiations team, tactical unit and firearms and weapons training.

He has also served as a supervisor of investigations and a patrol supervisor, and has worked with Crime Stoppers.

Zuidema’s start date is Dec. 1. He will take the reins of the Garner Police Department from Thomas M. Moss, who will retire Oct. 31.

Zuidema said he was impressed by the Garner community and hopes to advance the good work Moss and his staff have already done.

“I know that I want to build on the good things that already exist, and I hope that my strong, diverse background in community policing will help me do that,” he said.

GPD serves a population significantly smaller than Lynchburg’s. Garner has about 26,000 residents, while Lynchburg has approximately 70,000. Lynchburg is also authorized 170 sworn police officers; Garner is allotted 64.

“My first impression was that Garner is smaller but certainly full of opportunities, and I was impressed by the hospitality of the community,” Zuidema said.

Town Manager Hardin Watkins, who was responsible for selecting the new police chief, said he was initially impressed with Zuidema’s performance in the assessment and was further impressed with the feedback received from law enforcement executives and academic professionals who have worked with Zuidema.

“The superlatives offered by seasoned police chiefs sealed the deal in my mind,” Watkins said. “The remarks about [Zuidema’s] character, his productivity, his trustworthiness and his ability as a problem solver were extraordinary.”

According to Watkins, the town of Garner completed an exhaustive nationwide search to find the next chief. Sixty-seven candidates from 24 states applied for the position. The search culminated in a two-day assessment process with seven candidates from six states.

Related articles:

• Zuidema sworn in as new police chief
• Survey: What do you want in a police chief?
• Garner starts search for new police leader

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