Columbus could soon be in the market for a new police chief.
Chief Joseph Daughtry is among four finalists for Jackson Police Department’s chief opening, the city of Jackson announced Wednesday in a press release.
Mayor Stephen Jones told The Dispatch he previously heard Daughtry had applied for the position, but the two men never talked about it. Jones said Daughtry informed him he was a finalist before the press release was issued.
“I’m never mad at anybody for wanting to better themselves or do what’s best for him and his family,” Jones said. “The city of Columbus will be OK either way.”
If Daughtry is not offered the role, Jones said he is still in good standing as Columbus Police Department chief. He said he is unaware of any other jobs Daughtry has applied for.
“I’m pretty sure, like anybody else, people apply for jobs all the time,” Jones said. “… Most chiefs, if you look at it, … you get three to five years before they try to move on to something else. So, it’s expected.”
Daughtry did not return calls from The Dispatch by press time Wednesday.
The city hired Daughtry to lead CPD in November 2022 after a four-month search. He previously served as chief in Natchez for two years and in Pelahatchie for two years before that. He has held positions in various sheriff’s offices across the state and for Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office in New Orleans. Daughtry held a 10-year sting as a patrol sergeant for the Jackson Police Department.
He is the former president of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police and currently serves as vice president of the Greater Mississippi Chapter of the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives.
In a biography issued alongside the press release, Daughtry was credited with leading CPD through a “historic period of public safety improvement.” It specifically noted the city’s record of going a full calendar year without a homicide and the reduction of homicides from double digits to single digits over two consecutive years.
Daughtry and the other finalists will undergo in-person interviews with Jackson Mayor John Horhn this week as well as a separate interview with the city’s search committee panel as the hiring process continues.
The search started when former JPD Chief Joseph Wade resigned in August 2025.
“We started with 32 applicants from across the country, narrowed that group to seven, and are now down to four finalists after careful review, public listening sessions, and extensive vetting,” Horhn said in the press release.
Other finalists named in the press release include RaShall Brackney, who has served as chief of police for Charlottesville, Virginia, and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; LeJon Roberts, who is currently a police major with the New Orleans Police Department with more than 27 years of law enforcement experience; and Assistant Chief Wendell E. Watts who currently oversees patrol operations and criminal investigations, among others, for JPD.
Managing Editor Zack Plair contributed to this report.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
