Chief Bufford introduces new officers to Marion mayor and city council

Marion Police Chief Tony Bufford rebuilt the Marion Police Department in a little over three months. He introduced his police force to the Marion City Council at the council’s Jan. 20 meeting.

“I am proud to introduce a great group of guys,” Buford told the mayor and council. He said when he took office in September the department had only two full-time officers and one part- time.

“I kept getting complaints from the public saying when they called the police, they wouldn’t show up, or it took too long,” Bufford said. “Putting officers on the street was my main focus, so they will respond to the calls from the citizens in the community.”

“We ran some ads in the paper and took applications and were able to obtain some respectable men,” Bufford said. “But it was all with the support and blessings of the mayor and city council. Whatever I asked for, I got it. That was important and made my job a lot easier in putting this department back together.”

Buford said he likes to have a day and night supervisor. Capt. Robert Sykes is the patrol commander on the day shift, and the night shift supervisor is Lt. Bob Roulaine. Patrolmen are Marzell Smith, Kevin Cook, Jeremy Mims and Johnshay McGuire.

Bufford introduced the new code enforcement officer, Edd Miree. “He’s doing a great job of going around and enforcing the rules and regulations, like when people have a bunch of trash and abandoned cars,” Bufford said. “We’re trying to clean that up. We talk to the business owner or the landowner. Marion is a nice place, so we’re trying to keep it clean.”

The administrative assistant to the Chief of Police is Yolanda Curry.

“We don’t have a lot of major issues,” Bufford said. “We have little things that go on from day to day, and we are taking care of them. I thank God and the mayor and council for entrusting me to lead this police department. Things are going good for the Marion Police.”