The Brookhaven chief of police issued a statement Tuesday calling for unity in leadership for the sake of the city and its residents.

“Brookhaven’s mayor, the board of aldermen, and the chief of police and his officers were all put in place by the grace of God,” said Chief of Police Kenneth Collins. “We should be like to seasoning is to food — we should be working together to make everything better in this city.”

Collins said he hopes his message to the community will help people understand that all of Brookhaven’s leadership wants what’s best for the city and its people.

“We need the City to start helping us buy some of these cameras out of general funds, and we need this equipment to go ahead and connect with the FUSUS real-time crime camera system. FUSUS is already implemented in the city,” Collins said. “I have about one year and eight months left in office and I’m not running anymore for chief of police, but before I leave office I am trying to get this city prepared for the storm that’s coming. This benefits everybody.”

The chief said it’s time for all of the city’s leaders to put aside differences and work together.

“We have to work together. Satan and his demons wait at the city limits to tear this city apart if we fail,” he said. “We have one of the safest cities in Mississippi so far. We have been blessed. The vision given to me is to keep it that way, with love and respect for my city and its citizens.”