James was born and raised in Easley, South Carolina. He is a United States Army Veteran, serving 25 years Active Duty as a Military Police Officer, with two overseas assignments. After retirement, James continued his service as a sworn law enforcement officer for 7 years in the State of Minnesota. He served the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) as their Chief Law Enforcement Officer.

James has a wealth of training and knowledge in Law Enforcement and Critical Incident Response at Tribal, City, County, State, and Federal levels.