Overview
- Mayor Macklyn Austin, with backing from the Board of Aldermen, named Joseph Daughtry the new chief of the Yazoo City Police Department.
- Daughtry brings multi-jurisdiction experience after serving as police chief in Columbus and Pelahatchie and working with the Jackson Police Department plus Hinds and Rankin county sheriff’s offices.
- Austin described the decision as made with careful thought and prayer and framed it as a move to strengthen public safety and support law enforcement officers.
- The department has seen recent leadership turnover, including the retirement of the previous long-serving chief and a short-term successor who left for a Federal Bureau of Prisons post.
- City officials say the appointment aims to restore stability and community trust, with residents likely to watch for changes in officer morale, recruitment and local policing priorities.