Michael Edwards had a lot of latitude in planning his swearing-in ceremony as West Point’s new police chief at the city’s Civic Center.
Among his handpicked touches were speeches from three of the chiefs he served under during his 26-year law enforcement career, as well as remarks from one of his childhood friends who flew in from San Diego.
But the most important detail Edwards chose was the date – Sept. 19 – the day his late mother Sina Edwards would have turned 75. Sina passed away in 2019.
“Everybody who knows me knows I’m pretty much a Mama’s Boy,” Edwards said. “… There was no other day I could think of (for the swearing-in).”
Edwards might be relatively new to his job as police chief, but he is hardly new to West Point.
He moved there from Indiana at age 7, but good friends and family – including cousins who seemed more like siblings – soon made him see West Point as home.
“All my roots are here,” Edwards said. “Just by being in a small town, you know everybody, and everybody knows you. With that being the case, if you were somewhere acting out of character, you got dealt with. Then they called your mom, and you got dealt with again.”
After graduating high school, Edwards was a standout receiver for the University of North Alabama, amassing 2,844 receiving yards, 20 touchdowns and helping his team win three Division II national titles between 1993 and 1996. He earned the name “Quick Six” for his efforts, along with induction to the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
The bachelor’s degree in criminal justice he earned at UNA – which he later upgraded to a master’s at Troy University – set him up for a law enforcement career that began in 1999 as a patrol officer in West Point. He left for the University of Alabama-Birmingham Police Department in 2003 but returned to the Golden Triangle a year later to join Starkville Police Department, where he served the next two decades and attained the rank of captain.
In February 2024, he returned to West Point as assistant chief and was appointed interim chief in July of this year when Avery Cook retired. Edwards’ swearing-in this month officially removed the “interim” tag.
His leadership style draws bits from each chief he’s served under, as well as his own experience, Edwards said.
“I came up through the ranks,” he said. “… It wasn’t where I missed a step. All of those positions prepared me for the next position. I’m not asking an officer to do anything that’s out there or in the trenches that I haven’t already experienced.”
His reception since returning to West Point has been wonderful, Edwards said. In many ways, it’s much the same city as when he grew up. Some folks, he said, even have the same phone number they did then.
“This small city is built with more love and family congregation than you can even dream of,” he said. “… It’s dear to me. I’m thrilled that I’m back home.”
Vision for the department
Edwards said he wants to maintain WPPD’s reputation as “family-oriented,” where officers show they care about each other as people and even extend that outside work.
On the nuts and bolts side, he wants to build the force, which is now seven officers short of its allotment of 36, to full capacity. From there, he plans to implement a motorcycle division for traffic enforcement, as well as a community-oriented policing division that will increase the department’s visibility in neighborhoods and work to build rapport with citizens.
But even aesthetic changes can boost morale in the city and within the department, Edwards said.
When he returned in 2024, he saw the department was using the same patch and logo it did in 1999. Edwards replaced those patches with a new logo he drew by hand.
WPPD is also in the second year of a three-year lease-purchase program to replace its vehicle fleet.
“You’re not going to see West Point in old raggedy cars in the next year and a half,” he said. “Everything will be new.”
A good cook
Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard, who spoke at Edwards’ swearing-in ceremony, said he is “tremendously proud” to see his former captain take the reins in West Point.
“I know he’s going to show the commitment and passion necessary to be successful there,” Ballard told The Dispatch.
He also called Edwards a “humble” leader.
“Humitlity is one of the most powerful, but overlooked qualities that is needed in law enforcement leadership,” Ballard said. “He’s got a good amount of self-awareness. He values input from the people he supervises. Most importantly, he’s approachable and has a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who walks in the room.”
Edwards’ ace-in-the-hole, though, is culinary. When Quick Six cooks, Ballard said, he’ll draw a crowd.
“Mike is an extremely good cook,” he said. “If West Point decides to have a cookout or a cook-off, it’s probably time for us to take some vacation days over here and go check it out.”
Edwards, for his part, hinted there might be plenty of those opportunities — with plenty of food.
“When I cook, everyone eats,” he said. “People know that.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
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 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
