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Columbus Police Department presents 1-year progress report

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Improved morale and a significantly higher retention rate were just two of the key points Columbus’ police chief shared with the city council Tuesday during the department’s annual status report.

Chief Stoney Mathis said morale has improved and most vacancies are now filled.

Mathis has been Columbus police chief for a year. As he reflects on his tenure, he recalls reviewing the Jensen-Hughes report that led to the former police chief’s resignation, as well as the Columbus State University SWAT analysis. Both reports reached similar conclusions, according to Mathis.

“It was micromanagement, lack of leadership, nepotism and political problems … well, today you’ll hear that you have a solid leadership team in the police department,” Mathis said.

When Mathis took office, he said one of the biggest challenges was a lack of staff. Deputy Chief Roderick Graham played a key role in recruiting officers for the department, resulting in a 53 percent retention rate this year.

“If we compare today and look at 2023 and 2024, we see that so far this year we have hired 53 people and lost 23,” said Columbus Deputy Police Chief Roderick Graham.

Graham says the police station is currently almost at full capacity.

“We want to continue to hire more people and fill these three positions to reduce the number from 3% to the current level of 100%. We believe we can increase the rest of the staff as well,” said Roderick Graham.

The police department is almost at full staffing, a positive development that, according to Criminal Investigation Chief Lance Deaton, means the department can now handle more cases more effectively.

“With the staff shortage, we had to look at cases more closely and prioritize them,” Deaton said. “Now that we have more staff, we can take on some cases again that we might not have been able to handle before.”