News Sports Opinion Photos Social Classified Obits Contact
 
 
 
Buce

Buce new chief

By Michael Butler

The interim tag has been removed. The Tallasse City Council voted on Monday, May 23 to make Todd Buce permanent chief of police.

Buce has been on the force in Tallassee since 2017. He has been serving as head of the deparment since Matthew Higgins departure in December of last year. Buce came to Tallassee after working with Higgins in Montgomery, where Buce served 20 years.

"(Matt) asked me to come back and work on the investigations portion of the department," Buce said.

Buce had retired from the Montgomery Police Department, but after five years in Tallassee he is ready to take on the new position as chief.

"With the leadership role you take on a lot more responsibility. There's never an idle day."

There are 22 officers including Buce employed by the Tallassee Police Department.

"We are completely full in Tallassee," Buce added. "You're never going to be rich being a law enforcement officer, but it is a good living."

Just days after being named department head, Buce released details of a bust on businesses for sale of nicotine and CBD products to minors. Nine different businesses in the police jurisdiction were cited.

"Close to a month ago we had several minors who overdosed on one of the CBD vape pens that is legal for people 21 and over. I had several complaints saying this is just too easy for our children to get their hands on. They feel it's just a gateway until they're into harder drugs."

Illicit drugs are still the headliner for many of the issues that persist in Tallassee like many other cities.

"We realize that we have drugs in the town. You really want to combat the ones who are providing the substances. Crystal meth and marijuana are the two mainstays for the most cases we get. We do our best to curb it. We have a really good narcotics unit. Our patrol officers are really proactive. We're in the process of getting a drug canine. We want to keep our city clean."