The Columbus, GA police chief is Stoney Mathis, who has led the Columbus Police Department since the Columbus Council unanimously confirmed his permanent appointment in October 2023 at a salary of $170,980.77.1Columbus Consolidated Government. Resolution No. 343-23 He had already been running the department on an interim basis since May of that year. Mathis has said he intends to step down in late 2026 or early 2027, so the city will soon begin looking for its next chief.
Who Stoney Mathis Is
Mathis brings more than 30 years in law enforcement to the job. He started at the Henry County Police Department in 1995, made captain in 2002 leading the county’s Drug Task Force, took over the Uniform Patrol Division as a major in 2005, and rose to deputy chief by 2010.2Columbus Consolidated Government. Columbus Police Department – Chief of Police
After Henry County, he served as chief in Chattahoochee Hills beginning in 2016, then in Fairburn starting in 2018. The Fairburn department reported a 52 percent crime reduction during his tenure even as the city grew.2Columbus Consolidated Government. Columbus Police Department – Chief of Police
Academically, Mathis holds a bachelor’s in criminal justice from Cameron University (1992) and a master’s in public administration from Columbus State University. He is a 2017 graduate of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Leadership Program and has also completed the Drug Unit Commander Academy at the DEA facility in Quantico and the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville.2Columbus Consolidated Government. Columbus Police Department – Chief of Police
How Columbus Appoints Its Police Chief
The Columbus city charter puts the mayor in direct charge of public safety, treating the mayor as the city’s public safety director over police, fire, and prison operations. When the chief’s position is vacant, the mayor picks a candidate, and the Columbus Council must confirm that pick. Confirmation takes at least six votes from the ten-member Council.3Columbus Consolidated Government. Charter for Columbus, Georgia
There is no fixed term. The chief serves at the pleasure of the appointing authority and can be removed the same way the position is filled, with Council approval. Operationally, the chief reports to the mayor, while the city manager handles broader administrative matters like citywide personnel policy and budget preparation.
What the Chief Does
Section 4-322 of the Columbus Code of Ordinances lays out the chief’s authority. The chief is the department’s top executive over every sworn officer and civilian employee and controls hiring, training, assignments, promotions, and discipline up to termination.4Columbus, GA Code of Ordinances. Columbus Code of Ordinances – Article IV, Chapter 3, Subchapter A The chief writes internal rules and procedures, sets operational policy, and can delegate any of these functions to subordinate commanders.
The chief also prepares and submits the department’s annual budget to the mayor and city manager and then manages it, deciding how to allocate resources across patrol, investigations, forensics, equipment, and technology, and how to structure patrol zones and special details based on current crime data.
Georgia law imposes a specific training obligation on the department. Every peace officer in the state must complete at least 20 hours of continuing education each calendar year, and the chief is responsible for keeping the department’s training programs and officer certifications in compliance.5Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. Annual Training Requirements
The Department He Runs
The Columbus Police Department is authorized for 371 sworn officers, one of the larger municipal agencies in Georgia. Columbus has operated as a consolidated city-county government since Columbus merged with Muscogee County in 1971, so the department is the primary law enforcement presence across roughly 200,000 residents in both urban and suburban areas of the county.
Staffing was a live problem when Mathis took over. By early 2024 the department had rebuilt to 367 officers, close to its authorized strength, and lifting staffing numbers was one of the reasons local officials chose him.
The Coming Transition
Mathis publicly announced in March 2025 that he intended to step down, originally naming sometime in 2026. He later adjusted that, saying he expects to “fade out” of the department around January 2027. He has said he wants to be involved in picking his successor and has suggested the mayor look closely at his current command staff.
The next selection is likely to follow the process used to hire him: the city contracts with an outside firm to assess needs, recruit candidates, and present finalists to the mayor, with Council confirmation still required under the charter. Because Columbus holds a mayoral election in May 2025, the outgoing and incoming mayors may work together on the handoff.
Contacting the Department
The department’s headquarters is the Public Safety Building at 510 10th Street, Columbus, GA 31902. The Chief of Police’s office can be reached at (706) 225-3100.6Columbus Police Department. Contact
For police reports, incident records, or other department documents, you can file an open records request under Georgia’s Open Records Act. The department accepts requests by email at cpdopenrecords@columbusga.org, through an online portal, in person at the Public Safety Building, or by mail. Readily available records are usually released within three business days, while 911 call center materials generally take two to eight weeks. A $2.00 minimum charge applies, with additional costs based on staff time, ten cents per page for copies, and postage; the department sends an estimate for requests between $25 and $500 and requires prepayment for anything above $500.7Columbus Police Department. Open Records