Columbus City Council beginning search for next police chief

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus City Council is getting to work to begin the search for the city’s next police chief.

At a work session today, council members and the mayor began selecting members for a search committee that will help select a chief.

They also began putting together a job description and figuring out a salary range for the position.

A list of 10 people chosen for the committee will be presented to the Council at its next meeting Tuesday.

Mayor Keith Gaskin says they want to bring in a wide range of views when choosing a chief.

“We’ve selected local individuals who are on it, and we have tried to have a broad range of folks with professional backgrounds that can help in this area, but also citizens who are familiar with Columbus, and we feel good about the list,” said Mayor Keith Gaskin.

Chief Fred Shelton’s last day on the job will be Monday.

Assistant Chief Doran Johnson will be serving as Interim Chief.