Julian Wiser sworn in as Jackson police chief
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JACKSON, Tenn. — The City of Jackson officially has a new police chief. Julian Wiser was sworn in Wednesday morning by Mayor Jerry Gist. But everything from the details of the ceremony to where the new chief and his family plan to live have been kept private by the mayor’s office and police department. For the past nine months, Wiser has been the interim leader of the Jackson Police Department, marking a new era in the city’s fight against crime. “Crime is dispersed throughout Jackson,” resident Seila Willis said. “I hoped to see that decrease overall for Jackson.” Wiser has been at the helm of the department since October when Mayor Jerry Gist appointed him as interim after firing Gill Kendrick. After that change-up and throughout his campaign for re-election, Gist cited many ways his new choice for the city’s top cop would be different from the past, including where he would live. For years, the past chief commuted from Brownsville. “Once a permanent chief is named, they will have a permanent residence inside the corporate city limits of Jackson, Tennessee,” Gist said in October when he first appointed Wiser. We had hoped to talk with Mayor Gist and Chief Wiser about this topic Wednesday, but after scheduling an interview the mayor said he was too busy and Wiser refused to go on camera. Residents say they have mixed feelings about where the chief should live. “It’s the city they serve,” Doddie Day said. “If they’re in a different city, they’re not going to look at things exactly the same way.” Other residents say they’ll just be happy with a safe city. “I think that he should be able to live where he wants to live,” Eric Wilson said. “As long as he does an effective job in our community for our people.” We pulled Wiser’s personnel file at City Hall, and those records show he recently changed his permanent address to here in Jackson. But Wiser told us off camera his family is still living in Medina. “You have children to consider, schools, jobs, mileage and your home that you have there and selling it,” Willis said. “So I realize that there’s going to be a transition period, but I hope that in the near future that he makes that transition complete and he can bring his family here and they can be together as one unit.” As we wait to hear from either office on their plans for the future, residents say they hope this change will move Jackson forward. “We’re headed in a positive direction,” Willis said. “I hope that with the new police chief that he’ll continue to see the progress that’s been made in the past and continue to move forward in a good, safe direction for Jackson.” When WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News spoke with Wiser off camera Wednesday, he said the past nine months have been a learning experience and that he hopes to continue working and expanding on practices he’s implemented to make the Hub City safer. Wiser has been with the Jackson Police Department for the past 19 years. According to his personnel file, as chief he will earn $85,196.80 a year.
