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DURHAM -- Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez has promoted a veteran leader in the department to deputy chief, the second-highest rank in the department.
Jim Bjurstrom will fill the position left vacant by the retirement of B.J. Council, who left last year following a scandal about overtime.
Lopez also announced the promotion of 11 other officers, including two captains, one lieutenant, three sergeants and five corporals. He also named an acting assistant chief.
Bjurstrom joined the Durham Public Safety Department in 1982, when officers performed police and fire duties. He has been the acting deputy chief for the past three months and will oversee Operations Command, which includes Northside Operations (Districts 1, 2 and 5), Southside Operations (Districts 3 and 4) and the Investigations Bureau.
"Chief Bjurstrom has demonstrated great leadership abilities and a deep caring for the Durham community. His community policing philosophy coincides with my vision for this department," Lopez said.
Lopez said Bjurstrom "truly cares about the city, cares about the citizens and cares about the police officers and civilian employees" in the department. "His heart really is invested in community policing, and he understands the issues that surround the city of Durham in a very large way."
Bjurstrom, a graduate of Shaw University, was last assigned to the position of assistant chief in charge of Northside Operations. He has also been the District 1 commander and served in the Uniform Patrol Bureau, Criminal Investigations Division, Professional Standards Division and the Organized Crime Division (now the Special Operations Division). He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.
"This is a pretty humbling experience," Bjurstrom said. "This promotion is about a whole lot more than me.
Bjurstrom said he plans to continue "working with the community."
"The police and community work well together, but we can always get a little better."
He said he'd like to "promote all the positive things that the police officers do. I think that's one of the things that's missing. We don't do a really good job of promoting the good stuff that we do."
