In a press conference held on February 21, 2007, Governor John P. deJongh, Jr. tapped James McCall as the new Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department. McCall served as the department’s Assistant Commissioner from 2004 and has been Acting Commissioner since January 1, 2007.

In announcing the nomination, Governor deJongh stated that McCall “brings to his new position the experience and knowledge gained during a long and distinguished career.

James A. McCall is a 1972 graduate of the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. He received his Master of Arts degree from Texas Southern University in 1977.

Commissioner-designate McCall first entered the law enforcement field in 1972 as an Adult Probation Officer with the Harris County Adult Probation Department. He worked there for three years before joining the Harris County Sheriff’s Department as a Classification and Counseling Officer. Mr. McCall left the Sheriff’s Department in 1978 to serve as a police officer with the Houston Police Department. During his six year career with the Houston Police Department, he was assigned to the Intelligence Unit and the SWAT team.

James McCall joined the Division of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) in 1984. In 1989, he was selected to become a member of the Armed Criminal Enforcement Study (ACES), a detail established and designed to curtail the gang and drug related violent homicides in the Washington, D.C. area. While at ATF, he served in various capacities including Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte, North Carolina field office, and as one of the original members of the ATF’s Special Response Team.

Mr. McCall first came to the Virgin Islands in 1991 when he was assigned to the ATF’s Virgin Islands field office. During the three year assignment, he worked closely with the VIPD in firearms and arson investigation. He also helped to formulate the VIPD gun squad, which was designed to curtail the trafficking of illegal firearms into the Virgin Islands. Commissioner-designate McCall intends to improve crime fighting, prevention and criminal prosecution. He has outlined various objectives which include:

• establishing a crime lab for the territory;
• increasing Neighborhood Watch groups;
• improving the 911 system;
• recruiting new officers; and
• re-evaluation of the department’s training curriculum.

At the press conference, Governor deJongh also announced the selection of former Territorial Police Chief Novelle E. Francis, Jr. as the department’s Assistant Commissioner. Francis is a 20-year veteran of the VIPD. Commissioner-designate McCall has selected Sgt. Winsbut McFarlande, a 21-year veteran of the department as St. Croix District Chief/Acting Chief of Police. Sgt. Milton Petersen, Sr., an 18-year veteran of the VIPD, has been tapped to serve as District Chief of St. Thomas/St. John.