New police commander from New Jersey

The city of Maricopa Police Department has hired New Jersey native James R. Hughes as commander.

He is the second commander to be hired by MPD since Steve Stahl became chief earlier this year. Last month, Richard “Rick” Clore, a retired commander with the Mesa Police Department, was hired.

Hughes began his career more than 25 years ago in Mendham Township, N.J., as a police officer.

He supervised uniformed patrol and criminal investigations. Hughes spent his final nine years in law enforcement as second in command for a municipal police agency in New Jersey and one year as acting chief of police.

Hughes said Maricopa reminds him of where he is from in New Jersey.

“There are large residential areas, a limited number of businesses and a lot of hard-working people,” he said.

Hughes, who said he saw the Maricopa job posted on the Internet, said MPD has a lot of talent in the department and a bright future.

He has a wife, Danielle, and three children ages 8 to 13. Hughes has moved to Maricopa and his family will be joining him after Memorial Day.

Since retiring from law enforcement in New Jersey, Hughes served for 16 months as the executive director of the Honolulu Police Commission. There, he was responsible for the coordination of investigations and assisting the commissioners with technical advice in evaluating the chief of police and his annual goals.

Stahl said in a press release that Hughes’ blend of small and large city experience will bring a diverse perspective to Maricopa.

“He has shown the leadership and knowledge skills to bring us into the new era of crime fighting. I am extremely pleased to welcome him to the Maricopa Police Department and am confident he will help develop future leaders in this organization,” Stahl said.

Hughes holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from John Jay University of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is a New Jersey Certified Law Enforcement Executive and a graduate of the West Point Police Command Leadership program.