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Posted on: April 6, 2023

Police Department brings back second-in-command, promotes new captains

Lenoir Police Patch

The City of Lenoir Police Department has brought back the position of Major, and promoted two officers to the rank of Captain. Police Chief Brent Phelps restructured the department earlier this year to strengthen the chain of command.

The Lenoir Police Department is comprised of three divisions - Criminal Investigations, Patrol, and Support Services - and each division has a captain in charge. Prior to the change, if Chief Phelps was out-of-town, at a conference, on vacation, etc., he had to assign one of the captains to be in charge of the department. In addition to managing their divisions, the captain in charge would have to take on chief duties as well.

"As you can imagine, managing a division and acting as chief is a lot to handle for one person," Chief Phelps said. "Bringing the position of Major back to the department clarifies the chain of command and ensures our captains can focus on their divisions and provide the best service possible to our residents."

Earlier this year, Andy Wilson was promoted from Captain of Criminal Investigations to Major. Major Wilson is now second-in-command to Chief Brent Phelps. Major Wilson handles the day-to-day operations of the department, and division captains report directly to him. In the event that Chief Phelps is unavailable, Major Wilson is in charge of the department.

"Major Wilson has served with the Lenoir Police Department for 20 years," Chief Phelps said. "He has been an excellent officer and has consistently moved up the ranks during his career. He served as Patrol Captain for several years and most recently as Investigations Captain. I'm honored that he accepted the promotion to Major, and I'm confident his leadership and skills will benefit the department and the community."

Major Wilson's promotion left the Criminal Investigations Captain position open, and the retirement of Captain Brian Smith earlier this year left the Patrol Captain position open.

To fill those positions, Chief Phelps promoted Jody Herman to Patrol Captain and Mark Barlowe to Investigations Captain. Capt. Herman has served with the Lenoir Police Department since 1999, and Capt. Barlowe joined the department in 2007.

"Division Captains are extremely important positions," Chief Phelps said. "The Captains ensure their division staff and officers are performing their duties to the highest standards. I have no doubt Capt. Barlowe and Capt. Herman will be successful in their new positions and help move the department forward."

Andy Wilson

Major Andy Wilson

Mark Barlowe

Captain Mark Barlowe

Jody Herman

Captain Jody Herman


Having the position of Major to oversee the day-to-day operations of the department allows Chief Phelps to focus on big picture issues such as succession planning, recruitment, department structure and efficiency, and so on.

"In the last year, the police department has experienced multiple officers retiring. We are happy for those individuals, but the important work our officers do has to seamlessly continue," Chief Phelps said. "We are blessed to have a great group of officers that are ready and capable to step into new positions and new roles.  I’m excited and proud of the men and women that have stepped into these new roles for our agency and community.  Our officers have a multitude of varying tasks and community concerns to address on a daily basis."

In addition to the Major and Captain positions, the following officers were promoted to the rank listed below:

  • Zack Poythress, Criminal Investigations Lieutenant
  • Chris Bumgarner, Patrol Lieutenant
  • Nathaneal Blache, Patrol Lieutenant
  • Martin Crisp, C Platoon Lieutenant
  • Jen Banks, Patrol Sergeant
  • Stella January, Criminal Investigations Detective Sergeant
  • Joe Lo, Patrol Corporal

The Criminal Investigations Division investigates all types of crime in the city. Detectives and Patrol Officers work together to address criminal activity within the City of Lenoir. Click the following link to read more about the division, Criminal Investigations Division.

The Patrol Division is responsible for daily patrols in Lenoir and responds to all dispatched calls for police service in the city 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Click the following link to read more about the division, Patrol Division.

The Support Services Division is responsible for Community Resources consisting of Bike Patrol, D.A.R.E., Downtown Enforcement, Reserve Program, School Resource Officers, and Traffic Enforcement Unit.  The Emergency 911 Center also falls under this division, dispatching calls for service to our patrol units in the city 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Click the following link to read more about the division, Support Services Division.

The City of Lenoir Police Department is located at 1035 W Avenue NW.

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