“I’m not going to be a failed police chief,” Wayne D. Hudson told a room full of about a dozen members of the Columbus Police Department Monday afternoon. “You have to invest in the department. … I told (the council) if they’re not going to invest in the agency, do not hire me.”
Hudson is the third of three finalists who interviewed with the city council in person to be the new CPD chief. He is currently the chief deputy at the Douglas County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office. His Monday interview with Mayor Keith Gaskin and the council lasted about 70 minutes, followed by a reception in City Hall where he spoke with community members and police officers for about 40 minutes.
He began his career in the United States Air Force as a security specialist, serving for six years. From there he went to the sheriff’s office in 1999, working his way up from a sergeant in the patrol division to the chief deputy, a post he has held since January 2021.
Hudson holds a master’s degree in public administration from University of Nebraska at Omaha, as well as a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska.
Columbus Police Department has been without a chief since Aug. 15, when Fred Shelton retired. He announced his intention to retire on July 12, hours before a special-call city council meeting to discuss his job performance. Assistant Chief Doran Johnson is serving as interim chief.
Hudson said he is the second-in-command of the sheriff’s office back home.
“I take care of the day-to-day operations,” he said. “I control a $20 million budget, and an authorized strength of about 148 sworn officers and about 75 civilians.”
Hudson said he was confident CPD could be turned around, but it would take time and deliberate study.
“This agency didn’t get this way overnight,” he said. “It’s not going to get out of this overnight. What I propose is taking a deep dive into the agency, bring a professional in here to assess the department and see what it’s going to take to get it to a 21st century department with pay, benefits and training.”
Being an outsider was an advantage, he said.
“I don’t know the players in the city, but to me that’s the advantage because I have no loyalty to anyone in the city,” he said. “I can learn from anyone … (Columbus) is small enough I can get to know everyone in the department and get out in the community and get into the barber shops and where the people are to find out their feelings about the police department.”
Hudson said he has ties to the area, and he intends to stay here if selected for the job.
“My parents are from Shuqualak,” he said. “I still have family here in Columbus, some in Shuqualak. We still have property in Shuqualak and I’m here three or four times a year anyway. With me being able to retire, I figured this job coming open was a great opportunity.”
Hudson said he wanted the city to invest in reinventing the police department.
“You can hire the best chief in the world, but if you don’t invest in the agency then the agency you see today is what you’ll see three years from now and five years from now,” he said.
He said recruitment and retention was “very tough” everywhere, but said the department needs to look at exiting officers for the obvious answers.
“You’ve got to find out why people are leaving,” he said. “Nine times out of 10, it’s pay and equipment. Take care of that, you’ll retain them. How much money are you spending hiring somebody and training them and then having them leave?”
Each finalist brings ‘something different’ to table
Over the past week the council has interviewed tall three finalists. In addition to Hudson, it talked to current Natchez Police Chief Joseph Daughtry Sr. and retired Chattanooga Police Department Assistant Chief Russell Jason Irvin.
A special-call council meeting set for 9 a.m. Friday could yield a hire, Gaskin said.
After Monday’s meeting Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard said picking a chief among the finalists will be difficult.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” he said. “We have three great candidates. All three have been in law enforcement for over 25 years, but all of them bring something different to the table.”
Beard said he was looking at the person who would best relate to Columbus as a community.
“I want to see somebody that resembles the demographic makeup that we already have,” he said. “I don’t want it to be a major culture shock for somebody coming from a big city down to 30,000 people. The No. 1 thing is I’m looking for someone who’s going to bring leadership and structure and move the entire city forward.”
Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones also said all of the candidates were strong.
“We’ve got a tough decision to make,” he said. “I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them.”
“He did a great job in the interview,” said Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco of Hudson. “Although he’s from out of state, he has family ties in Mississippi. … He is committed to community involvement and being a positive role model for youth.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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