Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges is getting results: "I get to be myself"
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – It's been just over six months since Bloomington swore in its first Black police chief.
Booker Hodges has become recognized for doing things differently, most notably his press conferences.
"People. At the end of the day it's people," Hodges said.
The chief says that's what motivates him. One of the first things he did when taking control of BPD was one-on-one talks with every employee.
"I can almost say I know almost everybody's spouse's name. Some of the kids. I haven't gotten to the pets," Hodges said.
Outside Hodges' office door is a poster highlighting a core value: respect.
"The trust that we have in this community is based on mutual respect. The minute we violate that, all bets are off," he said.
The biggest challenge BPD faces isn't unique. It's struggling with resources, and a growing number of mental health calls.
"I want us to be able to have therapists that go out to these calls when we have these overdoses to talk to these people," he said.
At the same time, Hodges says Bloomington hasn't felt the impact of other widespread law enforcement issues.
"We don't have a problem recruiting here. Right now we're actually fully staffed. This last group was 70% diverse," he said. "We've got more qualified applicants right now than I've got open positions. Our crime in the city of Bloomington currently is at a four-year low."
Chief Hodges says one of the ingredients to his early success here is letting his officers and other employees be themselves. He says you see his authentic self in those unique press conferences.
"I preach here, 'You get to be yourself,' right? And that starts with me. I get to be myself. So the way I like to communicate is what you see," he said. "Tell the story, and that's what I do."
Hodges says if it takes a few props and some creative storytelling to get people to understand that crime won't go unpunished in Bloomington, he'll keep doing it
He is considered a rising star among law enforcement with his positive results on the job. But he says he hopes that Bloomington will be the final stop of his career.