“I’ve got your back,” Joseph Daughtry Sr. told a crowd full of Columbus Police Department officers during Tuesday night’s Columbus City Council meeting.
Daughtry, currently Natchez police chief, had just been introduced as the incoming Columbus Police Department chief.
“One thing I’ve heard from the officers is that you want somebody who’s going to stand behind you,” Daughtry said. “I want you to know you’ve got it. That’s what I’m here for.”
Turning to the council, he added, “Once I take over you can go ahead and sleep at night because the police department is going to be the last thing you need to worry about. We’re going to rock n’ roll.”
Daughtry will start Jan. 1, according to Mayor Keith Gaskin, at an annual salary of $100,000. The original salary range for the position was $80,000 to $90,000, but Gaskin said the council voted to go up to $100,000 during negotiations.
Former chief Fred Shelton, who retired in August, made about $72,000.
The council voted to offer Daughtry the job at a special-call meeting Thursday. That meeting was the culmination of a process that began back in August and saw about 70 applicants, around 35 of which met the minimum requirements.
“It’s a humbling experience to know over 70 applicants applied for this position,” Daughtry said. “To be the kid that grew up in the streets of New Orleans, raised by a single woman, to get to this plateau is very humbling and honoring.”
Attitude reflects leadership, he said.
“When (officers) see me get out and doing things, they’ll know I’m not going to ask them to do something I’m not willing to do,” he said. “If I’m driving down the street and one of my officers is working a wreck, I’m not going to bypass them and call for somebody else. I’m going to get out and help them.”
Daughtry also said he was going to pursue grants to help supplement the city’s funding.
“I’ve built partnerships across this state, as well as on a federal level,” he said. “… (Grants) are what we need. These officers need equipment, they need vehicles, they need training. There are also grants out there to allow overtime.”
Vice Mayor Joseph Mickens told The Dispatch after the meeting that Daughtry was the best man for the job.
“My daddy said a first impression tells you everything about everybody,” Mickens said. “The way he spoke and the way he answered questions told me he’d been there and done that.”
Daughtry was the only one of three candidates who had been a chief, he said.
“First and foremost, he was a chief,” he said. “The other two haven’t been in that position. They never sat in that seat. That, to me, took precedence. From day one I haven’t deviated from saying we need someone in this seat with experience, and he showed me that experience.”
For Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones, it was Daughtry’s connections.
“I think being a chief already in Mississippi and being over the chief’s association gives him connections that will hopefully help us in recruiting people,” Jones said. “I think he’ll be beneficial to us.”
Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard said Daughtry was an “awesome” candidate.
“Daughtry met all my requirements,” Beard said. “The demographic makeup of where he was from matches what he’s coming to. He has extensive expertise in all areas. It’s big shoes to fill, but this one candidate possesses everything that the other two candidates had.”
Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco said Daughtry’s passion for the job was convincing.
“He projects a passion for serving the public and caring for both his officers and the community,” she said. “I think he has the ability to help us in the recruitment and retention of officers.”
Gaskin said Daughtry’s roots in the state were very important.
“His experience has primarily been in Mississippi,” he said. “He has worked in departments that were similar to our department here in Columbus. The council felt like his vision for the department was exactly in line with what we were looking for, especially moving towards community policing.”
Pursuing grant funding is also attractive, Gaskin said.
“He does have experience with working for grant funding at the other departments that he’s worked in,” he said. “All three candidates had that experience, which we were looking for. We need it.”
Besides Daughtry, the other finalists were retired Chattanooga Police Department Assistant Chief Russell Jason Irvin and Douglas County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Wayne D. Hudson. All three were interviewed in person earlier this month.
Daughtry has served as chief in Natchez for two years. He previously served as chief in Pelahatchie for two years; as a Rankin County sheriff’s deputy for four years; as captain of the community service division at the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office for three years; as a patrol sergeant for the Jackson Police Department for 10 years; and as a deputy sheriff for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office in New Orleans for four years.
In June he was elected leader of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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