MUW Names New Police Chief

FROM MUW COMMUNICATIONS

COLUMBUS, Miss. — A police chief who has held positions both at the municipal level and in higher education is becoming the new police chief for Mississippi University for Women.

Danny Patton, currently police chief at Bevill State College in Jasper, Ala., will assume the new MUW role Oct. 1, pending formal approval by the state Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.

“We had a very strong applicant pool, and Danny emerged as a leader because of his broad experience and, in particular, his understanding of the university environment,” said Perry Sansing, assistant to the president and university counsel.

Patton, who has been police chief over five Bevill State campuses since 2008, also served as chief of police for Jasper, moving into that role from earlier positions as assistant chief, commander of the local multi-jurisdictional drug task force, and supervisor of community policing and computer crimes. He was a 25-year veteran of that department.

He is a member of the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the local Emergency Planning Commission.

In 2011, he earned the Above and Beyond Award for employer support of the Guard and Reserve.

Patton has special certification and training in areas that include student safety and security, threat preparedness, cultural sensitivity and a wide variety of other issues.

“We’re confident that he brings a high level of professionalism and knowledge to this role,” Sansing said.