New police chief is a Trenton resident

By Carrie A. Mizell

Jim Raven thinks it’s only fitting that he finish his career in law enforcement in the town where it started.
Hired last week as Trenton’s new police chief, Raven said he knows the community. After all, he’s called it home for the last 24 years.
“I started out here as a reserve officer in 1992,” Raven explained.
Working under then police chief Mike Edwards, Raven said he was also employed at Lancaster Correctional Institute at the time and easily made the transition from corrections to law enforcement.

After five years at Lancaster, Raven went to work as a law enforcement officer at the University Police Department, where he has remained for the last 17 years.
After a dozen or so neighbors and business owners in the City of Trenton encouraged him to apply for the position of police chief, Raven said he made the decision to seek the job.
“I had people stopping me in the grocery store,” Raven said.
Though he won’t start work until May 9, Raven said he is already familiarizing himself with the department.
“I want to protect the citizens and businesses,” Raven said. “My first priority is making sure that help is available when people need it.”
A quick response time will not be a problem, since Raven lives in the southwest section of the city.
Raven said he knows the first several weeks on the job will be spent primarily doing administrative duties, but after that he plans to update the department’s policy and procedures manual, train new officers, re-establish the Crime Watch program in neighborhoods and update equipment.
“I am going to be spending a lot of time on the road with the other officers,” Raven explained. “And when we’re not busy we’re going to park our cars and get out in the community and get to know people. I plan to ask what I can do to help them.”
“The citizens are our eyes in the community,” Raven continued.
Though he enjoys hunting and fishing in his spare time, the Bethel Baptist Church member said he has not had a lot of time to get involved with organizations in the community, primarily because he spends a lot of time commuting back and forth to Gainesville for work.
The new police chief is happy to call Trenton home; after all it’s where he and his wife Gail have spent nearly all of their 25 years of marriage. It’s also where they chose to raise their son, Josh, who is a Trenton High School graduate.
“We’ve seen businesses come and go over the years, and the population grow in Trenton,” Raven said.
“I am looking forward to the new challenge of being the city police chief,” Raven continued. “I just hope people understand that changes are not made overnight. I’m going to need a little time.”