I began my career with Raleigh Police Department in 1996, fulfilling a calling and lifelong dream to be a police officer.  My appointment as district commander brings me back to a place where I have served before.

At the beginning of my career, I spent several years in the Southwest and Northwest districts as a patrol officer. In 2002, I was promoted to detective and served on a variety of units including the general Southwest District detective squad. I remained here until I was promoted to patrol sergeant the following year. In 2005, I returned to the detective division and served as a district detective sergeant and a robbery detective sergeant before being promoted to lieutenant in 2007. As a lieutenant, I remained in the Detective Division and assumed responsibility for a number of specialty units including the homicide, aggravated assault and robbery squads.  In 2011, I was promoted to captain and was assigned for more than a year as a watch commander – a role in which I worked with a full shift of officers covering the entire city.

I feel blessed to be given such wonderful opportunity to be the Southwest District commander.  The history of outstanding officers and supervisors in this district is impressive, and I am determined to continue the high level of service excellence that has been firmly established and well maintained for many years.  I believe one of the district’s greatest assets is its tremendous number of concerned and active citizens.  The district has a diverse blend of people, from new college students to life-long residents, but a great number of people are united in the ways they care about their neighborhoods and work with the police to keep the district an enjoyable and vibrant place to live. I will strive to continue the low crime reputation that our officers have earned and will work to continue to make Southwest Raleigh THE place to live and work in the city.

*  Children should always be accompanied by an adult.

*  Trick or treat at known friendly homes.

*  Carry a flashlight/glowstick for visibility.

*  Wear costumes that will not cause children to fall or prevent them from seeing. 

*  Educate children on stranger danger rules. (Do not go inside anyone's home; stay outside; do not accept a ride or go anywhere with a stranger.)

*  Check treats before allowing children to eat them.

*  Trick or treat at a local mall, or attend a Halloween festival instead.

Thousands of North Carolinians will be enjoying the sights, sounds and foods of NC State Fair coming next week. The Southwest District wants to remind visitors and exhibitors to prepare for a safe trip to the fairgrounds by remembering the following tips:

*  Take limited amount of cash.

*  Wear a purse close to your body.

*  Secure valuable/purses in trunk prior to arriving at a parking location near the fair grounds. Remember, that criminals are watching parking areas to see what you are securing in the trunk.

*  Talk to children about staying close to you, and what to do if they are lost. Write down names/contact numbers and put them in small children's pockets to notify law enforcement with a way to contact you.

* Establish a meeting place/time for older teens to meet you.

With the changes of the leaves, come changes with daylight. Daylight Saving Time will end on Sunday, November 4, which means it will be getting dark earlier, quite possibly even before we arrive home from our work day. There are a few things that you can do to target harden your home from criminals.

*  Install dusk to dawn sockets in your exterior light fixtures, which will activate the light bulb when natural sunlight declines.

*  Install motion-sensitive lights on the eaves of your home.

*  Put a timer on an interior light to come on, giving the appearance that someone is at home. Periodically change the timer to a different light.

*  Install optional landscape lighting, or add a perimeter pole light.