Garland Ward came to Wednesday’s city council work session at City Hall with the understanding he would be recommended as interim police chief.
Once the city advertised for the permanent role, Ward said he intended to apply.
He left the work session “very surprised” his application would not be necessary.
The council voted unanimously in executive session to tap Ward as permanent police chief, effective immediately, at a salary of $100,000. He replaces Joseph Daughtry, who is leaving after 3 1/2 years for the same job in Yazoo City.
Ward has served as an assistant chief with Columbus Police Department since February 2023. He told The Dispatch he had never even visited Columbus before then, but the city quickly grew on him.
“I’ve grown to like Columbus,” Ward said. “I enjoy the people. … The longer I stay, the more I enjoy it. So this is where I want to be.”
Further, he said he appreciates the confidence the council placed in him to lead CPD.
“Of course, I know that we have to rebuild some things,” Ward said. “We’ve got to increase accountability and continue to deepen the trust with the people we serve. My leadership will be visible, our standards will be clear and our commitment to every neighborhood will be unwavering.”
Ward began his 26-year law enforcement career as a patrolman with Jackson Police Department. After moving up the ranks there, he later served stints with Vicksburg Police Department, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Defense and as chief of McComb Police Department before coming to Columbus.
Among his first goals leading CPD is working with his command staff to form a strategy for officer recruitment, retention and training – tackling those issues “as a unit.”
“My vision … is to bring stability to this department … (and) for this department to thrive and continue to do great things,” he said.
Mayor Stephen Jones, who in an emailed statement Tuesday wrote that he planned to recommend Ward as interim chief, said Wednesday he is “fully satisfied” with the council’s decision to hire Ward outright.
“I think Ward will be a great chief, and I’d like to congratulate him,” Jones told The Dispatch.
‘Stability means a lot’
Yazoo City hired Daughtry Monday at a salary of $95,000 – $14,000 less than what he made in Columbus. He remains on medical leave and had not offered the mayor or council official notice of his departure before several council members learned about it through social media.
Daughtry is set to be sworn-in at Yazoo City on July 27.
On Tuesday, Ward 5 Councilman Gary Jefferson told The Dispatch he wanted the city to “take its time” finding a new chief. On Wednesday, he said he voted along with the majority so Ward’s hire would be a “unified” decision.
“I think we should have taken our time and maybe took a breather before making it permanent,” Jefferson said Wednesday. “… (But) I have confidence he can do the job. When (Daughtry) wasn’t around, he was actively doing it anyway. … I have confidence that Ward is going to make a great chief.”
Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene came to the same conclusion from a different perspective.
“I could very easily see we would go through all this rigmarole (of a search) … and ending up with the guy who was right under our nose that we felt comfortable with anyway,” he told The Dispatch. “We’re lucky we had him sitting there as an option for us.”
Greene said he has been impressed with Ward since he arrived in Columbus and believes he can be the “smooth, steady hand” CPD needs right now.
“He’s very thoughtful. He’s not very emotional. He’s very level-headed,” Greene said. “He’s just somebody you have confidence in. … He’s very professional.
“We haven’t had the best luck in the past with bringing in people who weren’t familiar with the city or didn’t have any roots here that we were afraid would leave at any time,” he added. “… He’s kind of made it known that he likes Columbus and likes being here. Stability means a lot.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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