When Sun Police Chief Michael Raymond Jr. died unexpectedly in early January, he left the village with one police officer. Then-Cpl. Greg Bush suddenly found himself in charge, and he’s been at-the-ready ever since.

“The mayor said, ‘You’re it. Make things happen,’” said Bush, now looking reasonably comfortable and utterly determined in the chief’s office, his office.

He remembered the night his life stepped up a level.

Greg Bush, above, took over as Sun Police Chief after Michael Raymond Jr., who held the post, died unexpectedly in January. (Staff Photo by Marcelle Hanemann)

“I got the call about 9:30 that night,” said Bush. “I’d just finished my shift. They told us Chief Michael Raymond had expired. They found him at home. It was upsetting. It floored us. We didn’t really expect that. I was the only one in the department, and all of a sudden it all dropped in my lap. It was kind of a shock.”

Bush had been with the Sun PD for about a year. His prior law enforcement experience includes 10 years with the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office plus stints with the federal police, the Bogalusa Police Reserve and at Angola prison. He graduated the Slidell Regional Police Academy in 1999.

“I’d been in law enforcement several, several years,” said Bush. “But all of a sudden I was leading the department. The phone started ringing. I worked 80-hour weeks. I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of my wife. Then I got volunteers, and I began to envision things for Sun. For one thing, I want to have a good, a great, police department.”

That’s not just a wish. Bush has already set it in motion, and in doing so, he’s started to make his greater vision for the village a reality.

The volunteer officers include Scott Hanson, a St. Tammany corrections deputy who’s about to be sworn in locally; Tomas Felipi, a former member of Hungary’s elite special forces and NATO’s special forces; and Winston Cavendish, a man whose long list of accomplishments during his decades in law enforcement includes the creation of McGruff the Crime Dog.

“It’s an awesome team,” said Bush. “We all throw ideas around, discuss them, and all work for a solution. That’s what makes things happen. The left hand knows what the right hand is doing. It’s like family.”

Cavendish, in particular, is “just full of ideas,” he said. But the whole group is actively involved, and the young team already has a lot of plans.

“In June we hope to have a Small Town Chiefs of Police Symposium at Town Hall,” said Bush. “We’ll share ideas and grant information. It’s never been done before.”

A Neighborhood Watch program is being set up to increase community safety and unity. A Toys for Tots program is in the works, “because we have a lot of needy kids here.” And Bush intends to get the Sun Senior Center, a popular spot before it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, back up and running as soon as possible.

The chief said he wants to address the welfare of senior citizens, children and the community as a whole.

“This is one of the last frontiers,” said Bush. “I see in the next few years it will start to grow, and with that comes crime. I want to start programs now to combat crime. I want to try to get the people together. I’m hoping to bring in more revenues for the village.

“And the police department really needs equipment. We have four cars that each have over 200,000 miles. We have donated vests that can stop a .38, but not everything that’s out there.”

There’s lots to do. The police department is on it, and the village leadership is on board.

“The mayor (Barbara Gibson) has been awesome,” said Bush. “She’s very supportive. It’s always, ‘Greg, make it happen.’ And the council works with me.”

He’s managed to get his “volunteers” paid for the hours they work. And even though they have other jobs, they work when Bush needs them, he said.

“They all go above and beyond,” said Bush.

It’s a great team, he said, and one dedicated to protect and serve the Village of Sun.