ST. CROIX — Mario Brooks, a career police officer the governor announced today as his pick for police commissioner, emphasized his commitment to community policing, increasing officer visibility, and leveraging technology to enhance law enforcement.
Brooks, who became assistant police commissioner in 2019, highlighted the need for better community engagement to foster trust in addition to more officers on the street while sharing his priorities and management philosophy after leading the department in an acting capacity for the past four months.
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. announced Brooks as his nominee for police commissioner during the weekly press briefing today at Government House on St. Croix. He noted Brooks’ leadership roles in the VIPD include commander of the Criminal Intelligence Unit and special response team, along with his accomplishments in expanding marine enforcement and establishing a drone program.
“All these things demonstrate his innovative and steadfast commitment to public safety,” Bryan said. “Under his leadership, the department has already made strides in strengthening community policing and building trust between law enforcement and the community. I am confident that Commissioner Brooks will continue to drive these efforts forward, ensuring that every Virgin Islander feels safe in their home and their neighborhood.”
Brooks said he was humbled by the governor’s nomination.
“I see this nomination as a call to action to strengthen trust and foster better community policing partnerships,” he said during the briefing. “I’m ready and committed to work for the Virgin Islands and to lead with transparency, compassion and the resolve that is required to run the department in a progressive manner.”
A 30-year veteran of the Virgin Islands Police Department originally from St. Thomas, Brooks joined the police department after serving in the U.S. Army as an officer with the Military Police Corps.
“I wanted to be part of something that made a difference,” he said by phone, noting he gets pleasure from helping others. “Whether you run into someone who has a flat tire, somebody that needs some assistance, they know they can turn to you.”
In addition to working his way up through the VIPD, Brooks achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel after 33 years in the Virgin Islands National Guard. He described his management style as a mix of leading from the front and leading by example, while also understanding the limitations of his position. He said he maintains an open-door policy, encouraging communication with his subordinates to ensure they understand his command discipline and vision for the department.
That vision includes fulfilling all requirements under the VIPD consent decree, maintaining an elevated level of constitutional policing, ensuring community safety, rooting out criminal elements, and fostering a sense of pride and freedom within the community, according to Brooks.
“The people in the community should feel comfortable moving around, going where they need to and not have fear when they come out on the streets,” he said.
Brooks said the criminal element represents 3% of the population.
“They’re hell-bent on creating havoc in our community, so my philosophy is really to root that out,” he said.
To achieve his goal, Brooks said it will require enhanced recruitment to ensure there are more police officers in the department.
“In order for the community to feel a sense of safety, they need to see more officers on the street,” he said, suggesting the VIPD could use an additional 300 officers territory wide.
Brooks has already taken steps as acting police commissioner to increase the presence of officers in the community by adjusting how the officers work overtime, particularly those in specialized units.
“Once they’re complete with their regular shift, they’re allowed to come back in for overtime,” he said. “However, this time we do it in uniform so we can have more uniformed officers on the road.”
The community wants to see more uniformed officers, Brooks said.
“It makes a big difference to them,” he said. “It’s a level of comfort seeing a uniformed officer and not just seeing them driving around in a car.”
Brooks stressed the importance of community policing that focuses on developing relationships with residents through interaction, allowing officers to be better informed and empowered to solve public safety problems.
“That is where we need to get back to; that level of comfort,” he said, adding that residents are more inclined to provide information if they feel comfortable speaking with officers. “We have to get back to that level of policing where we are approachable.”
Although Brooks acknowledged the need for additional personnel, he discussed the use of technology to bridge gaps until more officers can be recruited. He noted implementation of the department’s drone program, recently acquired marine vessels, and progress with expanding the license plate reader camera system. He said he would like to see the completion of the Real Time Crime Center, which will have offices on St. Croix and St. Thomas to provide the VIPD with the ability to capitalize on a wide and expanding range of technologies for efficient and effective policing.
The governor announced Brooks as acting police commissioner during a press briefing on June 17 after former Police Commissioner Ray Martinez was implicated in a federal investigation after leading the VIPD for about three years following the retirement in 2021 of then-Police Commissioner Trevor Velinor.
READ MORE: “Police Commissioner Ray Martinez officially resigns: Government House discusses ‘miscommunication’”
As Brooks settles into his new role leading the VIPD, he discussed the legacy he would like to leave as police commissioner.
“I definitely would love to see the police department out of the consent decree, that’s top of the list, and just allow our people and the community themselves to just feel that sense of pride in their police department,” he said.
