Growth continues: 8 new officers join Columbus Police Department
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The rebuilding continues in the Columbus Police Department.
Mayor Keith Gaskin swore in eight new police officers at the city council meeting.
That brings the force up to 44 officers on duty.
Since assuming command of the police department, Chief Joseph Daughtry has been working to boost numbers and morale within the force.
The city council has approved higher starting pay, along with giving the chief the go-ahead to modernize uniforms, weapons, and equipment.
It appears some of the efforts may be working. The mass swearing-in included rookies straight out of the training academy and transfers from other departments.
“Our patrol division is growing. We are in the process of actively recruiting. We have five new officers who just completed the academy. We have three certified options that we hired and we also have three more that we are getting ready to send to the academy and we have three that are taking the PT test this Saturday,” said Daughtry.
The department did recently lose one officer to another agency.
The Columbus Police Department is budgeted for 55 officers.
