Jackson police chief retires after 29 years; Hinds County sheriff named interim chief

Chief Joseph Wade announced his retirement from the Jackson Police Department after 29 years of service at the Jackson City Council special meeting on Aug. 26, 2025. Mayor John Horn read a proclamation declaring Aug. 26, 2025, “Joseph Wade Day” and said Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones will serve as interim chief of police while a transition team and selection process proceed.Tribute and context: Wade told the council and the audience he was stepping down because of stress and health concerns after a long career: “I am tendering my retirement from the Jackson Police Department after 29 years of service,” he said. The mayor read the proclamation, saying in part he “do[es] hereby proclaim 08/26/2025 to be Joseph Wade Day in the city of Jackson.”The mayor also announced his choice for an interim leader, telling the council he had asked Sheriff Tyree Jones to serve as interim police chief. Jones accepted and said, “I am honored to accept the role of interim chief of police,” and pledged to focus on stability, continuity and a transparent search for a permanent chief.How the city described the transition: Mayor Horn said the city would form a law-enforcement task force to help select a permanent chief and named former U.S. Marshal George White and former Mississippi Bureau of Investigation director Colonel Charles Haynes as co-chairs of that effort. Horn described the interim arrangement as temporary and said the selection process would be “swift, efficient, but well thought out.”What Wade and others told the council: Wade credited the department’s officers and partners for operational gains and cited a reduction in homicides compared with recent peak years: “When I took the helm, we were the murder capital of this entire country. In 2021, we had 157 people who lost their life in this city… Today, as I sit here with 37, that is a 50% reduction in homicides in this city,” he said. He also thanked the department and community for support and urged continued backing of officers.Follow-up and next steps: The mayor said the transition team will move quickly and that council and administration will coordinate on any formal confirmation process required for an eventual permanent chief. Sheriff Jones said his duties as Hinds County sheriff would continue alongside his interim role and that he had no aspiration for a permanent appointment. A press briefing and a task-force announcement were scheduled to follow the council meeting.