Macon Police Department Gets New Leadership

MACON, Miss. (WCBI) – Wednesday was the first day on the job for Macon’s newly appointed police chief.

Aldermen made the change last night.

“We really don’t like where we’ve been in the last couple years,” said Ward Three Alderman Tommy Campbell.

That’s the general feeling from the Macon board of aldermen, after voting to demote Lucious Mason from chief to patrol officer.

“We’re going to make this change then we’re going to move forward and if need be we’re going to make more changes,” said Campbell.

Mason served as Macon’s top cop for five years, with an additional 25 years of law enforcement experience.

Ward Three Alderman Tommy Campbell says law enforcement is a tough business, but the board wants new leadership on the force.

“Being a Policeman in small town Mississippi, now a days, is very difficult. I admire anybody that would be a policemen but we decided to make a change in directions with our police department,” said Campbell.

Now, we reached out to several board members and Mayor Boykin, who decline to comment on camera but Boykin did say he opposed the vote.

Boykin tells WCBI that he can’t veto the board’s vote, because it was a unanimous decision.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, Assistant Police Chief Devine Beck was promoted to acting Chief.

Campbell hopes residents will support the board’s decision, which he says could have a positive impact on the community.

“We want our police department to be what the people of Macon deserve and would be proud of. We hope making this change and moving forward will get us to where we want to be,” said Campbell.

The changes within the police department took effect immediately.