Since he began his law enforcement career as a cadet, John King has been preparing for the job of police chief.

He’s earned three college degrees, including a master’s in criminal justice administration and a law degree, and attended a number of specialized law enforcement training programs.

And he’s also served in a variety of roles during his 21 years as a police officer, including court prosecutor and deputy police chief.

“Everything I did was to be better at this job,” he said.

King took over as the chief of the 53 member department on July 1, and comes to the job with a number of ideas to improve its services and community relations, as well as reorganize its operations.

One of the changes King would like to make, subject to the approval of the police union, is to assign officers to work on community policing and traffic issues.

He said that due to rotations on the department’s night shifts, sometimes there’s a lack of follow-up on quality-of-life issues, such as loitering.

The chief sees traffic as another area of need.

“One of our biggest complaints and demands is the traffic issues in town,” he said.

Read the full story: www.patriotledger.com/news/20160805/new-milton-police-chief-planning-changes