Jackson Police Chief Gill Kendrick relieved of his duties
DOWNTOWN JACKSON — Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist has relieved Police Chief Gill Kendrick of his duties and appointed an interim chief, according to a release from the mayor. Kendrick had served as police chief for five years. Gist has named Capt. Christopher J. Wiser as Interim Chief of Police. Wiser has been with the department for 17 years, according to the release. Wiser is currently the Commander of the Special Operations Division, which includes the Aviation Unit, Bomb Unit, Canine Unit, Gang Enforcement Team, SWAT Unit and Metro Narcotics, according to the release. “Now is the time to put a seasoned officer at the top of our police organization who has been involved at the ground level with combating drugs, and who has a day-to-day understanding of what drives youth violence,” Gist says in the release. “Chief Kendrick accomplished some key things in his five years as chief, including a 12 percent drop in the crime rate since he became chief. He has attracted federal grants to help fight crime,” Gist goes on to say in the release. Wiser was the first supervisor of the newly formed Street Crimes Unit in 2008, while he continued to serve as the sergeant in charge of the Gang Enforcement Team and Canine Unit, according to the release. He also has served in the U.S. Marines and as a Federal Task Force Officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service. He and his wife, Julie, have two teenage sons. “I am honored with Mayor Gist‘s confidence in my ability to lead the Jackson Police Department,” Wiser says in the release. “The department is filled with dedicated officers and civilian personnel who put the safety of the Jackson community first every day.”
