Chief Avens, a native of Halifax County, NC, began his law enforcement career in September of 2001 with the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office where he initially served on Patrol, and later transferred to the Narcotics Division where he served as a Drug Agent. As his family grew, Avens sought more stability, which ultimately led him to the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office as a School Resource Officer for Northampton County High School East. The strong desire to increase his professional development eventually led Avens back to his hometown of Weldon, NC. He was hired by the Weldon Police Department in 2006, and during his nearly 12-year tenure there he rose through the ranks, first being promoted to Captain in 2010 and then Deputy Chief of Police in 2015. On May 8, 2017, he was appointed as Chief of Police for the Weldon Police Department. On August 7, 2018, James E. Avens, Jr. was hired as Deputy Chief of Police for the Elizabeth City Police Department. Chief Avens graduated from Saint Paul’s College of Lawrenceville, Virginia in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He earned a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University in 2012. He has attended several top leadership courses through the Federal Bureau of Investigations and at major universities such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Methodist University. He is currently serving on the State Employees Credit Union (Chairman Elizabeth City- Northside Park Advisory Board), Community Care Collaborative Board of Directors, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Stable Housing Improvement Plan Executive Board, North Carolina Police Executives Association 1 st Vice President, Public Officer and Employee Liability Insurance Commission, North Carolina Law Enforcement Accreditation Advisory Committee, and is a member of International Association of Chiefs of Police. He is also a member of several civic and law enforcement organizations throughout the State of North Carolina. He has formerly served on the Albemarle United Way and as Region IX Director for the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police. For six years as Deputy Chief, Avens served as Second-in-Command to the Office of Chief of Police, a function which, amongst other things, oversees all the daily functions of the Elizabeth City Police Department. He was appointed as Interim Chief on May 3, 2024.  He has assisted with special projects, budget preparation, grant acquisition, ordinance revisions, as well as other numerous other functions required in the day-to-day of the Department.  On April 15, 2025, the Town of Matthews announced the selection of Avens as their new Chief of Police. He will begin in that role on June 2, 2025.