Hicks Calls Natick Chief Seat His 'Biggest Pride'

When police chief James Hicks was in college, he pictured himself leaning over a dentist’s chair working on patients. But years later, it’s a different career and his new job at the that has got him smiling.

“I come in everyday with a smile, I leave everyday with a smile and look forward to the next day,” said Hicks, who was , replacing retiring chief .  Hicks, who lives in Framingham, worked his way up from campus police to Bedford police chief before taking over in Natick.

“This is my biggest pride and accomplishment, being in this position here,” said Hicks, who was in a pool of 66 candidates, before being by the board of selectmen.

“The transition here and that period of time between leaving Bedford, which was very, very good to me, to come to Natick was a little bit of a struggle at first until I learned more about the community. As the hiring process went through, I realized that this is a place that I wanted to be.”

But Hicks did not always know that Natick, or even law enforcement, were for him.

As a student at Brandeis University, he began to pursue a major in dentistry, but spending so much time on the road playing baseball and basketball hurt his grades and hopes of becoming a dentist. And so, Hicks switched to math and when he graduated, found a job in retail management, which he said did not satisfy his need to help people.

A year later, he received a call from Brandeis campus police, who he had befriended during his time in college, asking him to apply for an opening in the department.

“I said, hmm I didn’t think of that, but it can’t be any worse than what I’m doing now,” said Hicks. “I enjoyed it. I think most of it was it was something different everyday. It wasn’t a desk job, it wasn’t going back to the store, it wasn’t trying to push for profits, it wasn’t trying to produce so much. It was more assist and help and do what people ask [you] to do and to me that’s a simple task.”

Since his days working for the campus police, Hicks has come to enjoy the workings of town government and the dynamic that a larger department offers. As his experience in Natick grows, Hicks said, he hopes to get to know the 53 officers and to earn accreditation for the department.

“I think it’s the best job in the world. It’s done a lot of good for me, personally. It’s done a lot of good for my family; my family can have but they want,” he said. “I think it’s a great community, great people—they’ve all been very welcoming since day one.”