The city of Columbus released the final names of the members making up the 21-person police chief search committee.
The committee is tasked with selecting a handful of qualified applicants worthy of serious consideration for the permanent police chief position.
The group includes police chiefs from neighboring municipalities, city officials, local pastors and media members, community activists, business leaders and a former Lowndes County Sheriff”s Office investigator. In an attempt to involve the community in the process, each council member chose one citizen to represent each ward on the committee.
Mayor Robert Smith released the final list Wednesday — Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong, Tupelo Police Chief Tony Carleton, Columbus-Lowndes Development Link Vice President Melissa Cook, Pastor Shawn Parker of First Baptist Church, Pastor James Boyd of Zion Gate MB Church, Pastor Joe Peoples of Stephen Chapel MB Church, Rep. Esther Harrison, D-Columbus, of Ward 1, Bobby Jordan of Ward 2, Irma Dickerson of Ward 4, Sarah Fowler from The Columbus Packet, Columbus Human Resources Director Pat Mitchell, Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor, Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box, Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem, The Commercial Dispatch Publisher Birney Imes, WCBI Assignments Editor Steve Rogers, retired LCSO investigator from Ward 3 Robert “Uncle Bunky” Williams, Sandra Jackson of Ward 5, and CPI Group President Mark Smith of Ward 6.
With a total of 82 applications submitted, Mayor Robert Smith and Chief Operations Officer David Armstrong will first eliminate the unqualified candidates. The committee, which will include Armstrong and Smith, will follow by narrowing the number to a handful who spark interest.
Selvain McQueen, former head of the Criminal Investigations Division, has held the role of interim police chief since the City Council fired Joseph St. John from the post in July. Smith confirmed that McQueen is one of the applicants. McQueen withdrew last week as the Democratic nominee in the Lowndes County sheriff”s race.
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