In a ceremony unseen in Jackson since 2002, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. and Police Chief Rebecca Coleman presented sergeants badges to 27 city police officers yesterday during a promotion ceremony at the Jackson Police Academy.

"Those of you who are being promoted this morning have shown, not only your faithfulness to this department, but your dedication, your courage, your leadership and willingness to work hard," Johnson said during the ceremony. "Each day when you walk out of your doors, you put your lives on the line to protect us and to keep our city safe. Today we also take time to say, 'Thank you.'"

According to a release from the city, the officers promoted are: Samuel Anderson; Randy Avery; Tyrone Buckley; Todd Clement; James Cornelius; Joseph Cotton; Joseph Daughtry; James Davis; Tony Davis; Samuel Gardner; Vincent Grizzell; David Hearn; Jennifer Jenkins; Marco Johnson; Thaddeus Jones; Steven Love; Dee McClendon; James McGowan; Walton McJordan; Barbara Folsom-McNeil; Fred Nelson; Duane Odom; Rickey Purvis; Sandra Stasher; Tina Wallace; Stephen Wells; Dewayne West.

Last month's sergeant's exam was the first since the Civil Service Commission threw out previous exam results. In June 2009, officers complained to the commission that the exam organizers barred some applicants from completing the entire exam, allowing only those who scored in the top 60 percent of the exam's first written phase to proceed to the second and third phases. Following an investigation, the commission threw out the results when it discovered that the test was identical to an earlier, leaked version.

Previous Comments

ID

158211

Comment

Congratulation to the men and women who earned the promotion to Sergeant on the Jackson Police Force. It is almost unreal and unthinkable that a department has gone eight years without an individual being promoted to the rank of sergeant. Like the Fortification Street Renewal plan, this was just another issue that didn't "fall through the crack" but was done with so much unfairness that the results had to be tossed. Kenny Stokes, please. No more talk about naming streets or buildings for the person responsible for these delays

Author

justjess

Date

2010-06-15T12:35:40-06:00