Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Meet the Final Four

 Jackson Mayor John Horhn issued the following statement. 

The City of Jackson today announced the final four candidates for the position of Chief of Police for the Jackson Police Department. RaShall Brackney, Joseph Daughtry, LeJon Roberts and Wendell Watts were selected from an original pool of 32 applicants from across the country, which was narrowed to seven semifinalists and then to the current group of four finalists through a structured, multi-stage review process. To support this critical leadership search, the City engaged the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a nationally recognized police research and policy organization.

As part of the next phase, Mayor John Horhn will conduct individual in-person interviews with each of the four finalists this week. In addition to the mayoral interviews, a separate Police Chief Search Committee panel, appointed by Mayor Horhn, will hold in-person interviews with each candidate, allowing for multiple perspectives and a deeper evaluation of leadership style, experience, and community-focused policing approaches.

The finalist interviews build on the seven public listening sessions held earlier in the process across the City, where residents shared their priorities and concerns regarding public safety, police accountability, and community engagement. Feedback from those listening sessions has informed both the recruitment and interview phases and will continue to guide the City’s decision-making as the process moves forward.

Mayor Horhn emphasized the importance of both thoroughness and transparency in this search.

“My main priority throughout this process has been to find the right leader to build trust, reduce crime, and strengthen the partnership between our officers and the residents they serve,” said Mayor John Horhn. “We started with 32 applicants from across the country, narrowed that group to seven, and are now down to four finalists after careful review, public listening sessions, and extensive vetting. This has been a deliberate, thorough process, and I am committed to appointing a chief who reflects Jackson’s values, listens to our community, supports our officers, and is ready to get to work on day one.”

Biographies and photos of the four finalists are being provided with this announcement.

Following this week’s interviews with both the Mayor and the Police Chief Search Committee, the City will complete its final evaluations and announce the selected candidate afterward.

Watts

Brackney

Daughtry

Roberts

 

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

Scratch Mr Watts; he lacks an essential ingredient.

Anonymous said...

It helps to be a member of that NOBLE group.

Anonymous said...

Please lord not her!!!

Anonymous said...

We know what N word you really wanted to use 1:14pm

Anonymous said...

Even one of the police chiefs outside of Jackson are apart of that NOBLE group smh

Anonymous said...

His transition team had zero women so she’s out.

Anonymous said...

Watts or Daughtry PLEASE

Anonymous said...

I put my money on Roberts.

Anonymous said...

No to anything New Orleans

Anonymous said...

They will never pick Watts. He's to electric.

Anonymous said...

They all disqualified themselves in their own bios.

Anonymous said...

I’d go for daughtry. A little emotional but stand up guy. I’d love an outside chief but it will never work here.

Anonymous said...

Only thing Mr. Watts lacks are eyebrows

Anonymous said...

I may have missed it, but does any have experience with youth?

1962guy said...

Who gives a shit? It's not going to matter who they hire.

Anonymous said...

Scratch and start over Mr. Mayor. It's obvious the listening sessions were useless.

Anonymous said...

So it’s really down to three.

Anonymous said...

So why does he list build trust then reduce crime? We all know where this is headed.

Anonymous said...

I can’t wait to see who the “Winner” is, and then, I can’t wait to see who the new one is when he walks away


Anonymous said...

Hair. That's it, hair. Nailed it.

Anonymous said...

A PhD does not make a police chief. (It means piled higher and deeper), as in BS.

Krusatyr said...

Which one is the quickest draw best shot?

Anonymous said...

Watts will be chosen when Chowke gets elected governor. Right?

Anonymous said...

Watts has about as much chance of being selected as any of the commenters to this posting.

Anonymous said...

No focus group and balloon release?

Anonymous said...

All have years in the public trough(slop bucket) looking for another retirement. Select a hardworking, up and coming young buck that meet the minimum qualifications. You’ll never get your money’s worth out of these old farts! Jackson the bold New City need a young, smart, caring and gifted officer that has a lot of gas left, and not sitting /eating with their entourage at Char! Come on Mayor Horhn we can do better than a good looking Résumé and all the right answers.
Im sure we can do better, Jackson need a boots on ground kick ass Chief! Not a good looking bio.

Anonymous said...

What are the odds...

Anonymous said...

Amen to 6:35 regardless of qualifications

Anonymous said...

The four candidates look good on paper but won’t do a damn thing to help Jackson’s crime problems. Let quit playing these charades and select a real hands on Chief and not a consultant type pencil pusher. Jackson and Mississippi has plenty of qualified officers that will do a great job.

Anonymous said...

Too bad the former Tchula chief isn’t on the list. I liked his cowboy hat and revolver.

Anonymous said...

Horhn is operating as many predicted.

He's pandering to his woke patrons and low IQ voters with goofy
"PC" phrases and such ..... right ?

A real man would talk to the applicants "one on one" and choose the best candidate. If his choice didn't work out, a real man would fire their ass and start again.

A real man would be ashamed to even use "interview committees".

Anonymous said...

Daughtery and Watts sound like the best.

The woman doesn’t sound good on paper.

Anonymous said...

Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey

Anonymous said...

9:51 Bo Luckey can go to lunch without the help of a committee. Quit wasting time Mayor Horhn hire from within and if he or she cannot do the job, move on! Now them old fat bearded police has beens can go on home and enjoy their time working security at the local hospitals looking at them young nurses.

Anonymous said...

What's the hurry? LOL. Seems like John Horhn cannot make an executive decision.

Anonymous said...

This does not give me any hope for Jackson

Anonymous said...

The Futile Four.

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry that JPD doesn’t have any Policemen worthy of a promotion to Police Chief. This is a shame, maybe if the law allowed we should have looked outside for a Mayor.
Mayor Horhn may need to look to Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker for advice not a committee!

Anonymous said...

Dissolve JPD, put HCSO on notice they are next if they don’t straighten up quick, give CPD all they need and ask for. Problem solved, tell Horhn to run rabbits.

Anonymous said...

Prediction in order of likelihood to be chosen:
1. Brackney: hits the right PC buttons, woman, black, Piled Higher and Deeper;
2. Roberts: looks good bringing in an outsider, and with a steeper learning curve he’ll be less independent;
3. Daughtry: another out-of-towner and fits the required demographic profile;
4. Watts: lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.

No police chief is going to reduce crime. What keeps crime low is a heterogeneous population in a high-trust culture. You don’t have that in Jackson, not in Hinds, not in Mississippi, not in the US, and you’re not going to have it ever. You can just as well attribute the infrequent drops in crime to bad weather or dumb luck.

Anonymous said...

Yes, we can always judge people how well they photograph and whatever resume they write and we certainly don't need to actually have conversations with anyone to judge them. We can judge someone by looks and political party and their religion and their skin. Talk is little help unless they "sound" foreign or uppity. Someone who can hire the best speech writer and memorizes and the speech or reads off teleprompter and tell us what we want to hear is who we want to hire. And, of course, the ones who got the best hair transplants, hair color jobs and best plastic surgery are obviously VERY smart, maybe even GENIUS!

Anonymous said...

Same as it ever was.

Anonymous said...

Me too but he died 😔

Anonymous said...

Restorative justice = releasing known felons. Hey look at that Jackson has been pursuing Restorative "justice "for a while now.

Anonymous said...

If Horhn chooses a white candidate, ain't no church within 250 miles would let him in the door on Sunday no matter how many Krispy Kreme dozens he be bringin'.


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