Garland Ward has served as the McComb Chief of Police for the last two years and has personally and professionally embodied the true meaning of community policing. He has worked tirelessly to bridge trust in communities across the City of McComb and has been committed to fighting violent crime even with limited resources. However, on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, Garland Ward was wrongfully terminated from his position of Chief of Police by the McComb City Council with a 3-2 split vote. Selectmen Bruce Mullins (Ward 5), Matt Codding (Ward 2), and Tommy McKenzie (Ward 1) voted in favor of terminating Chief Ward, while Tabitha Felder (Selectwoman-at-Large) and Selectwoman Terri Waterman-Baylor (Ward 3) opposed. 

Selectmen Mullins, Codding, and McKenzie sited the police force "not having enough guns" as the reason for his termination. This development is biased and lacks plausibility, especially since Selectmen Codding and McKenzie recently chose to allow a currently employed officer to go without a gun in order to allow a former officer who had not been serving in months to have a weapon. Furthermore, Selectmen Mullins, Codding, and McKenzie colluded to capitalize on the vulnerabilities of a city council that is short one selectman due to the recent passing of Bishop John Bates (Ward 4). The special election to fill Bates' seat is scheduled to take place on next Tuesday, October 18th.

Ultimately, the actions taken by three lone selectmen demonstrates blatant hypocrisy and has outraged the community. As a community, we must stand together and show our support for Chief Ward. By signing this petition, you demonstrate your support for reinstating Garland Ward as the Chief of Police for the City of McComb. Those signing the petition must live in the City of McComb and the deadline to sign the petition is Monday, October 17th by 11:59 PM.