By CHLOE ALLEN / Special to the Reporter

PELHAM- It’s been almost three weeks since the mayor of Pelham appointed Larry Palmer to the position of chief of police. But for Palmer, this is no time to be sitting around and relaxing.

“You don’t have time to pat yourself on the back,” Palmer said. “We have been real busy around the department.”

After being appointed, Palmer said he hasn’t wasted any time. He has hit the ground running on new things within in his department and said he is determined to take the developments forward with full force.

“We’ve made some new equipment purchases in the department and we’ve implemented some new equipment, which includes our body worn cameras,” Palmer said.

Of course, whenever the head of an agency changes, there will be growing pains along with the new management.

“We are getting the officers back into the swing of things after the uncertainty over the last 30 days,” he said.

Palmer met with everyone in his department to address concerns they had and what was expected of them.

Palmer said now is a critical time for law enforcement around the country, and one of his main goals is to take the necessary steps to build relationships between the departments and the public.

“I want to educate people on what we do and how we do it,” he said. “I want to bridge the gap and emphasize that we are a part of the community, too.”

“Our goal here is to strive for excellence, and that’s exactly what we are going to continue to do,” Palmer said.