Major James Baker was sworn in by Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith Wednesday morning as Lima's newest police chief.
LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A 32-year veteran of the Lima Police Department is now set to take the helm. Major James Baker was sworn in by Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith Wednesday morning as Lima's newest police chief. He is replacing retiring Chief Angel Cortes.
Baker's vision for the Lima Police Department is to build upon the foundations built by Cortes and his predecessors, focusing on three crucial areas.
Baker's vision for the Lima Police Department is to build upon the foundations built by Cortes and his predecessors, focusing on three crucial areas. The use of advanced technology, the building of trust and partnerships with the community, and the recruiting and hiring of new officers.
Baker says that the trust between law enforcement and the community is the best he has seen in his career at the Lima Police Department, and is looking forward to building upon that and getting residents involved.
"On Monday, we'll be swearing in two officers. One is from a lateral transfer, which is our very first one since we've had the program. And the other one directly from our recruiting team as they went up to the University of Toledo and pitched Lima to those young people," stated Chief James Baker, Lima Police Department.
Baker says that the trust between law enforcement and the community is the best he has seen in his career at the Lima Police Department, and is looking forward to building upon that and getting residents involved.
"I want to find a good, healthy balance between our use of technology and officers being out in the street and having people report crime. Having people being willing to go to court and go through the whole process," added Baker.
Baker will officially take over the duties of chief of police on July 27, 2024.
