On Tuesday, for the fifth time in 11 years, the city of Columbus swore in a new police chief.

In a crowded swearing-in ceremony at the Municipal Complex featuring singing, prayers and testimonials, Joseph Daughtry officially became chief, promising to “come after” the criminal element, and “let them know who runs this city.”

Daughtry, who comes to Columbus with more than 20 years in law enforcement, the last two as police chief in Natchez, was hired in November, but his official duties begin now.

In many respects, the names change, but the challenges are old and familiar.

As it was with Selvain McQueen (chief from 2011 to 2014), Tony Carleton (2014-2015) Oscar Lewis (2016-17) and Fred Shelton (2018-2022), Daughtry inherits a department where staffing, morale, equipment and public perceptions are issues that must be resolved if he is to be successful.

Previous chiefs have had varying degrees of success in meeting these challenges.

It is also fair to note that the mayor and city council bear some responsibility for many of the challenges, since they alone can provide the resources to address staffing and equipment.

Staffing and resources also affect morale. An understaffed, inadequately equipped department takes a toll on officers who are overworked and feel under-appreciated.

In that sense, three of the four challenges we note fall, to some extent, within the mayor and council’s control.

The remaining issue is public perception.

For the past couple of years, violent crime has become something that has unnerved our community and led to the perception that our police department has not been effective in meeting that challenge. The bad guys are winning, many believe.

There are two things to consider here. First, the primary role of any police department is to respond to crime. A department’s ability to prevent crime is limited. More patrols and targeted patrols in high-crime areas help, but are not fail-safe against violence.

Too often, citizens see reports of violence and are naturally alarmed. Yet less notice is paid to the efficacy of the police department in solving these crimes. Generally, arrests are made quickly, even with an understaffed department.

It’s also worth noting that practically all violent crimes in our community are committed by people who know the victim, in most cases friends or family members, including the shooting that left one dead and four wounded at a family Christmas Eve party.

While certainly tragic, that so many of these crimes emerge from personal conflicts should disabuse us of the idea that there are crazed gunmen out there roaming the streets of Columbus indiscriminately murdering anyone they encounter. That is histrionics and harmful to our community in so many ways.

The availability of guns (there are more guns in the U.S. than citizens) and a culture in which violence is seen as a method of conflict resolution, cannot fairly be laid at the feet of law enforcement. That’s on us, the citizens.

It is against this backdrop, that Daughtry begins his role as police chief.

The challenges he faces are real and not easily remedied. Yet, leadership is not defined by what a person does in ideal situations, but by how he performs in difficult circumstances.

We are encouraged by Daughtry’s credentials and strong presence and wish him every success in meeting these challenges.

His success, after all, is the community’s success as well.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.