BATON ROUGE -  With just two weeks on  the job, newly appointed Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas "T.J." Morse, Jr. says he plans to prioritize transparency and community engagement.

Morse sat down for his first on camera interview, discussing changes and plans for the department. 

"I really look forward to the old school and new school, bridging the gap on the department side and the community side," Morse said. 

In Morse's outline for his first 100 days, it says he's guided by the Pillars of 21st Century Policing, which includes building trust, incorporating technology and social media, and oversight. Morse added that trust of the department starts with transparency, which could take time. 

"I believe in transparency in the full extent of it," he said. "I believe that when were wrong we're going to stand up and say that we're wrong. We're going to do it very quickly, as quickly as we can and release as much information as we can."

In August, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome disbanded the department's street crimes unit amid allegations of abuse.

When asked whether Baton Rouge can expect a street crimes unit to return, Morse says having officers strategically placed can be beneficial, with proper training and oversite.

"I do believe in proactive, strategic policing," he said. "I think there is a need for a group, a division that when we have these hot spots pop up, whether it's burglaries in a certain area, or shootings in a certain area, that we can then take this group, this division and allocate more manpower to those areas."

Morse says far too often, good police officers are overshadowed by people who aren't following the rules of the badge. He added that highlighting the positive changes officers are making in the Baton Rouge community can improve how the public perceives and works with the police. 

In recent weeks, Morse says the BRPD has dealt with crime scene witnesses not coming forward, resulting in investigators not knowing the full picture. That's something he hopes will change. 

"If they don't want to talk to us individually, but they have Ring Doorbell footage or security cameras on their house, they can share that video with us anonymously," Morse said. 

Thursday BRPD is partnering in a press conference with the Page-Rive Camera Initiative. Morse says they're touting a new website and security for their people's homes. Investigators will have access to the cameras in the event of a crime in the area.