After interviewing the last of seven police chief candidates at Tuesday night’s aldermen meeting, the board decided to deliberate for two weeks. Mayor Tim Kyle said he called each of the aldermen yesterday and told them there was no use in waiting if they knew the candidate they wanted.
“I didn't know when they were going to make their decision. The other night we had a long board meeting and decided not to do it, then I called all of the aldermen yesterday and said, ‘Hey, are you guys ready to go ahead and do this? I mean, there's no sense in prolonging it by two weeks if you know who you’re going to vote for,’” said Kyle.
Kyle characterizes Wray as a sharp, young candidate who came into the interview process with a detailed plan for the department. He even requested a copy of the city’s budget from city hall prior to his interview and proposed ideas and suggestions during his meeting with aldermen.
Kyle said the city had seven good candidates, including a couple from within the ranks, and he believes it was courageous of the board to select someone from outside the department to take the helm.
“It took courage for the aldermen to think outside of the department, and they really hated going outside of the department because we've got some good guys over there,” said Kyle. “And I’m 100 percent sure those guys could have run the department.”
But after reviewing strong recommendations from Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill and Chief of Police Jeff McCutchen, the board felt they found the right man for the job.
“The Mayor of Oxford Robyn Tannehill called me and said, ‘This guy is fantastic. We’d hate to lose him up here.’ She said this guy is a natural leader, and he’s a guy that people want to follow,” said Kyle.
The mayor said he believes this is the best decision for the department’s future, and he hopes to see the department support their new leader.
“Man, I hate it for our two local guys in our department, but they told me from the get-go that they wanted what was best for this department,” said Kyle. “The decision has been made and I think they will get behind this guy, and this will be best for the department in the long run.”
Kyle said Wray demonstrated exceptional leadership and has envisioned a structure for the department going forward. Wray told Kyle he also plans to implement initiatives to benefit the community, including quarterly coffee with cops and neighborhood meetings, monthly donuts for school resource officers to share with students, a ‘Camp Cops’ program during summer break, an officer-of-the-month program, and a ‘Pack the Patrol Car’ event.
To help KPD reach its full potential, Wray plans on holding an internal department meeting to discuss the future, as well as:
- conducting one-on-one interviews to gather feedback
- holding regular command staff meetings
- building morale through a positive mindset and communication
- demonstrating integrity, respect, and professionalism
- going on calls, traffic stops, and ride-alongs with officers
- training officers on the most up-to-date tactics
- evaluating and improving the rank structure, policy, equipment uniforms, workflow, beats/zones and schedule
- having a Special Response Team
- utilizing outside resources such as Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and Attala County Sheriff’s Office
- encouraging physical fitness programs
- communicating with the court system; and conducting department-wide devotionals
Wray indicated that he expects to see a reduction in crime as a result of potential improvements, and that he plans to bring successful programs from the larger Oxford police department to Kosciusko, including fresh perspectives and ideas.
“It’s just a fresh approach to things. Not saying that the way things have been done is wrong, it’s just the way it has always been done,” said Kyle. “I told the guys it takes courage to change, but a lot of times great things come from that.”
