Meet The Chief: 5 Questions With MBPD's Jaye Loggins

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — For the first time in more than a decade, Mountain Brook has a new police chief. The Moutnain Brook City Council swore in Jaye Loggins Oct. 25 as the city's sixth chief, after Chief Ted Cook announced his retirement in September.

Loggins has been employed with the Mountain Brook PD since 1996 and has served and supervised at every level of operation throughout the department; including promotion to executive management and oversight of the daily operations of the Agency at the ranks of Captain and most recently, Deputy Chief.

Patch caught up with Loggins to discuss his leadership style, his career and what challenges the department faces moving forward:

How would you describe your leadership style?

I describe my leadership style as that of coaching leadership. I have been fortunate enough to have served under some great leadership in my 25+ years at the Mountain Brook Police Department. Several people have invested in me and have made me the law enforcement officer that I am today. If those would not have done that, I would not be in the position I am. I try to do the same for those that I serve as Chief of Police. I have always tried to make others better and more knowledgeable police officers.

I am involved and and take interest in seeing others grow as leaders and progress in their careers. I have a lot of experience and knowledge in many areas of law enforcement and I share that with others when I can. I want each of our officers and leaders to grow and be able to do the best job possible. I take great pride in seeing those succeed and take on more responsibility as leaders. I would be failing if I did not try to help others grow in their careers. By doing so, I am investing in them individually and also investing in the department as a whole. Which in return, the community benefits with a better police department and a better service provided to it.

I have always had this style of leadership as an officer, supervisor and division commander. I encourage those to continue to educate themselves in this profession. I try to pass on my knowledge and experience to help them do that. I let them know of what worked and what has failed. I want others to be ready to replace me and know that the service provided and the department will not skip a beat when that time comes. All in all, It is about making the department better and providing the best quality service to the community.

What is the best professional advice you have received?

The best advice I have ever received was to "treat people like people" and "be fair." At most times, we come into contact with people at a time of need or at a time where they are not at their best due to a poor decision that they have made. I have always treated people fairly and have not judged them over a mistake. It is easy to fall into the mindset of seeing the worst in people, or even looking for the worst in people. But, I have always tried to keep my personal feelings, opinions or beliefs out of doing my job. I have always tried to maintain a professional demeanor and conducted myself in a way that represented the Mountain Brook Police Department in a positive way. I have had some that I have arrested in the past even thank me for the way that I treated them. Those times, in my mind, have reinforced the fact that I have done it right.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

I don't think that there is one that stands out as the most rewarding. There are several. From a leadership standpoint, it is rewarding when a newer officer starts to mature and develop in their career. Seeing them begin to perform their duties without the need of supervision or seeking advice is knowing that you have done your job by giving them the tools and resources that they need. Whether it's a piece of equipment, training opportunity, or putting the right person in a place to mentor them.

From a department standpoint, it is seeing the support from the community and city government that we receive. That tells me that we are doing it right. If we weren't, we would not receive the waves, letters and phone calls that we do. When one of our officers is commended by a citizen or someone that they have come in contact with, it speaks volumes and is very rewarding as a leader.

Through everything that has gone on the last few years across the country with relation to police departments, it is rewarding to know that we have continued to have the support, if not more than before, from the community. I love what I do and where I am blessed to do it. I would not want to do this anywhere else.

What would you say are the biggest strengths of the Mountain Brook Police Department?

Without a doubt, it is the people that make up the department. We have some of the most professional and highest quality officers of any other department. Not only as police officers, but as people. Our officers are genuinely passionate about their roles in the community and do not take it for granted. They have a high level of integrity and morals. I am proud of the men and women that make up the Mountain Brook Police Department. I would put our officers up against any in the country. They are professional, educated, well trained and most of all, they care. We are fortunate to have each and every one of them.

Although Mountain Brook enjoys a low crime rate compared to other communities in the Birmingham metro, what do you see as some of the challenges facing the city and the MBPD?

The challenge is maintaining that low crime rate. We continue to strive to be the best and remain in the top safest cities, not only in the metro area but across the state and nation. We, as a department, will continue to better ourselves and make the adjustments needed to address what issues we are faced with. We can be better by building on the relationship that we currently have with the community and establish a partnership with it. By having that partnership, we all lookout for each other.

Having that extra set of eyes within the community only benefits all of us. Those within the community can assist us in maintaining the low crime rate by reporting suspicious activity, persons or vehicles. Our residents know their neighborhoods and what is normal and what is not. It takes all involved to make this city as great as it is. The more involved, the stronger we are, both as a department and as a community.