PELHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Major Brent Sugg has been named the newest chief of the Pelham Police Department.
During a city council meeting Monday, Mayor Gary Waters named Sugg as his choice as the city’s next police chief, which the council unanimously approved, the city confirmed in a press release Tuesday. Sugg replaces former chief Pat Cheatwood, who retired in January.
Sugg will begin his duties as chief on April 19.
“The hiring process was thorough and comprehensive,” Waters said in a statement. “The search drew qualified candidates from across the country, and we got the best of the best.”
Sugg began his law enforcement career in 1994 in Norman, Oklahoma. In 1999, he joined the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, serving as a field training trooper and a member of OHP’s tactical and emergency response teams. In 2008, Sugg was promoted to lieutenant and patrol supervisor. In 2013, he was named captain, assuming command of Troop A Field Operations, the OHP’s training section. He also served as commander of the OHP’s criminal investigations section, the office of professional standards division and emergency services.
In 2019, Sugg was named OHP chief and later, in 2022, was named major and zone commander of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.
Sugg holds a bachelor’s of science degree in organizational leadership and a master of arts in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma. He is also a graduate of the 275th session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.