The Town of Drakes Branch has hired Charlotte Court House resident Codey Brooks as the new Drakes Branch Town Sergeant.

Brooks succeeds retired Town Sergeant Tommy Galbreath, whom the Town of Drakes Branch honored in December after the announcement of his retirement.

Galbreath was officially named Town Sergeant in January 2005 and spent almost a decade working for the town before retiring, according to a resolution honoring his service.

“I like helping the citizens out,” said Brooks.

In addition to serving as the Drakes Branch Town Sergeant part-time, Brooks also works full-time as a Longwood University Police Officer in Farmville.

Brooks said at Longwood, he is typically dealing with students in the 19-24 year old age demographic. However, “Drakes, you could be dealing with an infant and then dealing with an 89 year-old, so it’s always different. That’s what I like about law enforcement,” he said.

Additionally, Brooks said when the students are out at Longwood for the summer, the Longwood Police Department has concurrent jurisdiction with the Town of Farmville.

Brooks said he got into law enforcement about four years ago when he started working part time at the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office dispatching in the jail.

“I always run up on something new,” Brooks said. He said working in law enforcement is not like having the same job every day.

Brooks said although he has lived in Charlotte County since he was about four years old, he was born in Chesterfield County.

He is a 2004 graduate of Randolph-Henry High School and has been married for 10 years and has three children.

Additionally, Brooks said he has been in the military for 14 years and currently serves in the Army National Guard.

During his time in the military, he said his first appointment was in Kosovo and his second appointment was in Iraq.

“I’m just glad to be doing it,” said Brooks, referencing his position as Town Sergeant. He said after talking to several individuals, he feels most people in the community like the small police department in the Town of Drakes Branch.