Broken Arrow chose one of their own to lead the police department.
Acting Chief Brandon Berryhill, a 23-year veteran of the Broken Arrow Police Department, has been named chief after David Boggs’ retirement in August.
The city got around three dozen applications in a nationwide search for Boggs’ replacement. Boggs retired in August. City Manager Michael Spurgeon said Berryhill had the qualifications and character the job demands.
"He demonstrated a vision that I believe our department needs going forward," Spurgeon said. "Brandon is a proven, collaborative-style leader who will lead from the front and simultaneously work with staff, the employees and the [Fraternal Order of Police] to make sound and effective decisions ... and, finally, he and his family have a demonstrated commitment to the Broken Arrow community and our police department."
Berryhill said with citizens’ support for the police department and so many officers living and raising families in Broken Arrow, it’s important BAPD be responsive to the community.
"If we're doing a great job, we hear about that at school, at the grocery store, at church, and that just makes us more accountable and it helps us to change things real time to meet the needs of the community," Berryhill said.
Broken Arrow’s growth will be something he pays attention to.
"With the increase of population, you're also going to see an increase in crime, and that's just really an economy of scale. It's a percentage-wise," Berryhill said. "And so that's something that we can't rest on our laurels. We have to constantly strive for new innovations and new techniques to make sure we keep it a safe city, and that's a focus that everybody here — whether they're animal control or dispatch or records clerks — everybody's pulling the same direction."
Berryhill began his career in law enforcement with the University of Central Oklahoma Campus Police Department while he completed his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Berryhill earned a master’s in criminal justice from Northeastern State University.
Berryhill has taught as an adjunct criminal justice faculty member at both Tulsa Community College and NSU.
