Eudora ? Grady Walker has been named Eudora’s new police chief.

He’s a person who is well-known in the local law enforcement community because he’s spent his entire 32-year career in Douglas County. Walker said he’s now poised to lead the Eudora Police Department in a positive, forward-thinking direction.

“This is real exciting,” Walker said. “This is a dream come true.”

Walker worked for the Douglas County Sheriff’s office and jail right out of high school, then turned his attention 10 years laterto the corporate side of law enforcement. He spent 12 years with Douglas County Youth Services, where he served as assistant director. In 2007, Walker returned to the streets, working full time for the Eudora Police Department.

Walker said he’s honored to serve Eudora residents in this capacity and hopes to gain more trust with the citizens.

“I want to let the citizens know that we’re here and we’re here to care,” Walker said. “We have an open-door policy, and I want them to come in and speak to us whenever they have problems or complaints. We want to address those.”

Walker said it’s imperative the department continue looking to the future, and that includes increasing the use of technology. The department is furthering its effort to go paperless and ensure officers have access to the latest technology.

The department will also move to increase citizen interaction, Walker said.

“We’re working on putting together a plan for the community policing partof our department so that we can bring the community to show them what we do and to work with them to better serve themselves,” Walker said.

In other Eudora police news, Detective Tom Willis was promoted to administrative sergeant.