The former Columbus Municipal School District chief of police, Kennedy Meaders, began work July 2 as Mississippi University for Women's new chief of police.

"I am honored to have been chosen as MUW's new Chief of Police. This position affords me the opportunity to work at a great university and to work with a great staff, faculty and students," said Meaders, who is a certified criminal justice professional and holds professional instructor's certification from the Board of Law Enforcement Standards and Training.

In his first experience with collegiate police work, Meaders has high hopes for the future of the MUW police force.

"The new MUW Police Department will be customer-service oriented and our vision and mission aligns with the vision and mission of this university," he explained. "My long-term goal is to eventually get our department accredited. Our top priority is to keep this university safe and to be professional while we perform our duties."

Meaders received a bachelor's degree in public administration from The University of Mississippi and a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of North Alabama. He received his formal law enforcement training at the North Mississippi Law Enforcement Training Center.

An active community member and native of Amory, Meaders is involved in Youth for Excellence, vice president for the Northern Region of the Mississippi Association of Gang Investigators and is a U.S. Army veteran. Additionally, he has been cast in a film by a local media company, Genesis Media, in which he will portray a police officer.

"Chief Meaders did a great job with Columbus schools, leading our force in the most important task we have is providing a safe environment for our teachers to teach and students to learn," said CMSD Superintendent Dr. Del Phillips. "It's a tremendous loss for us, but a wonderful addition for the MUW family. We wish him the best in his new capacity."

MUW's last police chief was only on the job for a few weeks before being fired. The university had hired Meridian police officer John Harris to the job, but Harris refused to move to Columbus full-time, instead choosing to run for re-election as a Meridian city councilman. MUW requires full-time residency as part of the job.