New Bay St. Louis Police Department dedicates structure to fallen officers, state’s first black police chief

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) - After nearly a year of construction, The Bay St. Louis Police Department will soon be moving into a new $4.5 million-dollar building.

Next month, the staff of 29 will relocate to the 10,000-square-foot public safety complex. It sits just behind the department’s current 800-square-foot office inside city hall. The facility will boast eight office spaces, forensic and patrol rooms, a massive lobby, two holding cells, showers, an in-house training room and more.

Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz says the building will be dedicated to Chief Douglass J. Williams, noted as the first black police chief in the state of Mississippi.

The Hancock County Chamber of Commerce is also set to dedicate two stars on the sidewalk at the front of the building to fallen officers Branden Estorffe and Steven Robin. The officers were tragically killed in the line of duty in December of 2022.

“Once you come in the police department for the everyday operations and business here, we’re going to dedicate two of our rooms to them,” says Chief Schwartz. “So, our briefing roll call room. Sgt. Steven Robin loved to brief up the persons on his shift, and it only makes sense to honor, name and recognize him. And honor him by naming that room after him. So, we’re going to do that. And then also for Branden Estorffe, he was so big into training being a young officer. That’s what he loved and we’re going to dedicate the training room in the name of Branden Estorffe.”

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