Reyes Aims To Lead Baxter, Officers Alike

Newly-appointed Baxter Police Chief Al Reyes said he aims to serve the community and his officers alike through his expertise in law enforcement.

Reyes said he comes to the position with a lot of life experience, decades in law enforcement experience, and a willingness to help. He said his goals as police chief are to mentor the officers in the Baxter Police Department and to show the community that the department is there to protect them.

“I don’t want any of us to forget that we’re public servants and we’re there for them and that’s the job,” Reyes said. “And that pretty much wraps it up. We want to serve them, we want the people that respond to calls in the city of Baxter to be looked on as professionals and people that are there to help.”

Reyes said he is discussing plans with the city to start working as police chief on Thursday. Reyes said there is going to be quite a bit of adjusting for both him and the department as he starts this new role. He said he has received a lot of support throughout his law enforcement career and this is his opportunity to give back.

“I’ve always felt that everything that I’ve learned is beneficial to pass on to, you know, the newer officers.” Reyes said. “More and more in the world today, police officers are looked down upon, and the job that they do is a very dangerous job and it requires a lot of sacrifice on their part, so whenever you see a young man or a young lady decide to pursue this career, it’s admirable that they’re doing it, you know, the kind of pressures that they face nowadays. So I feel happy and honored to be able to share my experiences with them.”

Reyes said he wants to start his work and get involved with the department so he can get a sense of what the community needs.

“It’s a different department from the county, it’s a different department from the state, so in all honesty there’s going to be quite a bit of adjusting,” Reyes said.

Reyes said he wants the police department to remain a professional entity while also showing support for the community and local community projects.

“Baxter is a beautiful community, it’s a growing community, and it’s just a pleasure to drive through it and observe all the beauty there is in that city,” Reyes said.

Reyes said he retired to Tennessee before eventually returning to work for Putnam County. Reyes said he started his career in law enforcement with the Florida Highway Patrol in 1980.

“I had a fantastic career in Miami-Dade County, I worked for the big troop in Dade County, which was Troop E, and I also worked on the turnpike, which was Troop K,” Reyes said. “The majority of my career was on motorcycles. I supervised a motor unit there for many years.”