Assistant Chief Garland Ward, who has decades of experience, has been unanimously promoted as the next police chief of the Columbus Police Department.
Former Chief Joseph Daughtry was out on medical leave when he accepted a similar position in Yazoo City. This move has raised some eyebrows and caused some to question his commitment to the city of Columbus in the first place.
What we do know is that he was a finalist for the same job in Jackson in February and made the final cut. He has been on the hunt ever since and was instructed by the Columbus City Council to address police department concerns, morale and other internal issues plaguing the department by Aug. 1.
We don’t know whether that precipitated his quick hire in Yazoo City, but it is definitely part of the equation.
Councilman Gary Jefferson says he hopes the City Council does things differently this time around when it comes to hiring the next chief, but with the current need to fill that vacuum, the council has decided to go with one of its own in Assistant Chief Garland Ward.
Larry Watson
Columbus
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