Just 11 elected police chiefs remain in Mississippi, all others appointed

Appointed vs. Elected: Only a handful of Mississippi cities still elect police chiefs

Electing police chiefs was once the norm, but it is now the exception in Mississippi.

Out of 275 police chiefs across the state, the vast majority are appointed. Just 11 elected positions (4 percent) remain in the Magnolia State, and most of those are in the northeast corner of the state – Aberdeen, Amory, Baldwyn, Corinth, Houston, Iuka, Nettleton, New Albany and Okolona. The other two elected chiefs are in Brookhaven and Forest….

…The arguments can run passionate on both sides of the issue, appointed vs. elected.

“Personally, I would only want to be an elected police chief,” said Aberdeen Police Chief Henry Randle, who was elected to a third term in 2016. “That way you are in control of the police department, not the mayor and board of aldermen.”

Daily Journal
5/21/17