ZACHARY - It’s been a busy and historic week for Darryl Lawrence, Zachary’s new police chief. He was sworn into office on Monday and hit the ground running with meetings. 

He spent some of Thursday morning getting comfortable in his new office. Although the office is new to Lawrence, the city is not. He’s homegrown.

“I’m actually born and raised in Zachary, in a little area they use to call Port Hudson. It’s all Zachary now. It was the suburb,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence was sworn into office Monday morning. He’s been in law enforcement for the last 35 years, and he joined the Zachary Police Department in 1989 as a volunteer officer. 

“This was just a part of who I am. So, I knew when I graduated high school, I went into the military. I came back, and I knew this was what I wanted to do,” Lawrence said. 

For him, this is about more than just a new job and promotion — he’s making history as the first Black police chief for the city. 

“There was an undercurrent of racism, but I think we’ve progressed, by evidence of my election. So I think we’ve done a good job here in Zachary of moving forward,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence says he’s taking over a department that's already in really good shape. However, he knows there is always room for improvement.

“I'm going to be accountable to the public. My officers will be accountable to me, and we will have integrity. So when we say something, it will be the truth. It may not be easy to hear all the time, but it will be the truth,” Lawrence said.