Chism talks priorities, goals during first week as Brunswick County Sheriff
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Earlier this week, Brian Chism was sworn in as Brunswick County Sheriff after John Ingram announced his retirement in March.
As his term begins, Chism says he will hold the core values of the Sheriff’s Office close in everything he does. The core values are loyalty, integrity, dedication, and service.
“If we apply those things on every single call that we do and every single decision that we make how can we go wrong?” Chism said.
Before becoming sheriff, Chism worked with Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office for more than 18 years. He served as Sheriff Ingram’s chief deputy.
Following Sheriff Ingram’s tenure, Chism says he feels like he has “inherited the keys to a Rolls Royce” because of the legacy Ingram left behind.
While Chism has no plans for big changes, he says communication is something that can always be improved.
“It’s very important that we stay in communication with our community because that’s who we work for and that’s who Sheriff Ingram pushed us and ingrained in our minds that we work for and I want to continue that as well,” Chism said. “I don’t want to get rid of that mindset. We are here for the community, that’s who we work for. We’re going to continue to do that.”
Chism wants to get the word out about programs like the Anchor Initiative for people battling addiction and Project Lifesaver, which gives people who have conditions that may cause them to wander away from caregivers a bracelet with a tracking device in it.
“We need to find ways to get that out there because we have all these resources that are available and I hate that something tragic has to happen for them to find out about those,” he said.
As people continue to get to know him, Chism says he wants people to know he is community and service minded.
“I come from a long line of service and service before self is very important to me. I hope that they know that and I hope that they see that in the years to come,” Chism said.
