Matt Stephens begins serving as interim police chief for the Columbia Police Department
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Matt Stephens is now serving as the interim police chief for the Columbia Police Department. This comes after Chief Geoff Jones announced his retirement from the department in June after serving for more than 24 years.
The City of Columbia expressed its excitement for Stephens. City manager De’Carlon Seewood said he is thankful Stephens has agreed to step into the role and he's confident Stephens will help make the transition as smooth as possible for the department and the city.
Stephens is a Columbia native and a graduate of Hickman High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from Columbia College and his master’s degree in sociology/criminal justice from Lincoln University.
Before taking on the role, Stephens served as the assistant chief of CPD's Special Services Bureau.
He also worked as a patrol officer, sergeant, and lieutenant along with working in the vice narcotics and organized crime unit, traffic unit, and criminal investigations division.
The Columbia Citizens Police Review Board met earlier this month to discuss the hiring process for the new Columbia police chief.
The city started its national search for Jones' replacement hiring a search firm to help find candidates, the search is costing the city $60,000.
The city has also asked the community their thoughts on what qualities they wanted in the next chief of police. The City of Columbia said it plans to have a new police chief hired within six months, and the forums will help determine what candidates move forward.
