3 CPD officers, 2 Crime Lab workers resign from City of Columbus

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – In spite of having four officers recalled from a joint city-county drug task force, manpower issues in the Columbus Police Department aren’t getting any better, at least in the short run.

At a work session Thursday, the mayor and City Council accepted letters of resignation from three CPD officers and two members of staff of the city’s Crime Lab.

Mayor Keith Gaskin and Council members did not identify which three officers were leaving the force, but the mayor did say that two of them were taking jobs with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.

At yesterday’s meeting, County Supervisors approved Sheriff Eddie Hawkins ‘ request to hire four new deputies to bring the drug task force back up to full strength.

Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry cited manpower and overtime issues when he temporarily recalled the city’s members of the task force to regular duty.

That move prompted Supervisors to give a 90-day notice of the county’s withdrawal from the interlocal agreement governing the unit.

“Our decision to move our guys out was temporary, but we never have, we still, to this day, have not had a sit-down with, like, me and Trip, the Board President, the Sheriff, the Police Chief, and our two attorneys to go over the interlocal agreement. I think the fact that we’ve gotten this far down the road with everything, and that hasn’t happened, is – in my opinion – just my opinion – and I’m not criticizing anybody, but it is not the best way to handle these types of issues for the citizens,” said Gaskin.

The departures leave the total staffing of the police force in the low 40s. The two techs leaving the Crime Lab represent half of its total staff.

For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter