James received an associate's degree in criminal justice in 2014 from Ashworth College and holds a human resource management certification from Bergen Community College which he received in 2020.

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James served for 25 years in law enforcement, retiring as a Lieutenant from the Guttenberg, NJ Police Department. Serving as 2nd in command of that agency, he was in charge of day-to-day administration of approximately 50 employees to include the training unit, sex offender unit, digital program management, accreditation manager, CODIS compliance (DNA), civilian personnel, and internal affairs.

James also served as the Deputy Coordinator for the Guttenberg Office of Emergency Management. Previous assignments include the county narcotics task force, detective bureau, warrant squad and street crime unit. James is skilled at reorganizing agency units to comply with modern policing standards.  He establishes trust and an understanding of competency within the community.

During his career, James earned several police service awards along with a lifesaving award for retrieving a suicidal person from the Hudson River.