Columbus Police Chief Stoney Mathis was honored Wednesday, October 14, during a farewell celebration at the Public Safety Building as he prepares to leave the department after approximately three and a half years leading the Columbus Police Department.
The event brought together members of the police department, public safety leaders, city officials and Mathis’ family to recognize his tenure and the changes made during his leadership. The celebration was open to the community and included remarks from department leaders and local officials reflecting on Mathis’ impact on the agency and the city.
Assistant Chief Rod Graham opened the program by recognizing Mathis’ contributions to the department, including changes to recruiting practices, updated policies, employee compensation and leadership development.
Graham said the department revised approximately 35 to 40 policies shortly after Mathis arrived, addressing procedures that had become outdated. He also credited Mathis with helping increase recruiting interest through new approaches, including the use of LinkedIn.
Graham highlighted Mathis’ efforts to persuade city officials to allow officers to take their assigned patrol vehicles home and secure a $5,000 pay raise for sworn officers and 911 personnel. He also pointed to additional compensation for officers who earn intermediate and advanced certifications, along with expanded opportunities for employees to attend leadership training.
“He really cares about people, and he really cares about the men and women in this department,” Graham said.
Graham also praised Mathis’ willingness to listen to ideas from members of the department and encourage teamwork across its ranks. He said one of the chief’s most lasting contributions would be his emphasis on the department’s guiding mission: “Building relationships and reducing crime.”
Assistant Chief Lance Deaton also credited Mathis with strengthening relationships within the department and creating a more unified leadership team.
Deaton said the department had been divided when Mathis arrived, and bringing personnel together became a priority before tackling other challenges.
“He did a fantastic job there,” Deaton said, describing how Mathis helped bring the command staff onto the same page and establish a more cohesive approach to leadership.
Deaton also emphasized the importance Mathis placed on mentorship, saying the department’s culture had changed to provide employees with greater opportunities to prepare for leadership positions rather than simply promoting personnel without adequate training.
He thanked Mathis for his leadership, guidance, friendship and the opportunities provided to him and other members of the department.
Fire and EMS Chief Sal Scarpa praised Mathis for strengthening relationships between public safety agencies, saying cooperation between departments is essential to serving the community.
Scarpa said the relationship between police and fire leadership allowed the agencies to share challenges, exchange ideas and work together more effectively.
“What he has done in terms of relationships between departments … cannot be quantified,” Scarpa said.
Scarpa also thanked Mathis’ family for sharing his time with the department and presented him with a clock and a T-shirt recognizing his honorary status with the fire department.
Columbus City Councilor Byron Hickey also offered words of appreciation, reflecting on the changes made during Mathis’ tenure and the importance of continued support for the police department.
Hickey said Mathis arrived at a time when the department faced significant challenges and credited his leadership with helping move the agency in a better direction.
“On behalf of my family, citizens of Columbus, I want to say to you, thank you,” Hickey said.
During his remarks, Mathis repeatedly emphasized that the department’s accomplishments were the result of teamwork rather than the efforts of one person.
“None of it was done by myself,” Mathis said. “Everything that we’ve accomplished in this police department is because of the command staff I have right now and the hardworking men and women, not only within the badge, but the civilians in the building, the 911 operators.”
Mathis said the Columbus community had shown him respect from his first day on the job. He acknowledged that the department was struggling when he arrived but said he believed it could get back on track with the right people and leadership.
He described the past three and a half years as challenging but rewarding and said leaving the position would give him an opportunity to spend more time with his wife, daughter and three young grandchildren.
Mathis said he plans to take time to reset, decompress and consider what comes next.
During his remarks, Mathis also shared updates on the department’s efforts to reduce violent crime and address shoplifting.
Mathis said Columbus had recorded 13 homicides at the time of Wednesday’s event, compared with approximately 26 at the same point the previous year, 46 two years earlier and 66 three years earlier. Those figures, he said, reflected continued progress in the department’s efforts to reduce violent crime.
He also discussed the department’s shoplifting initiative, which brought additional personnel into the effort to address the problem. Mathis said the initiative had resulted in approximately 50 shoplifting arrests per month in recent months, with shoplifting down 26% compared with the previous year.
Mathis credited the department’s strategic approach to identifying problems, developing solutions and working together to implement them.
“Hope is not a strategy,” Mathis said. “You just can’t hope things get better. What you do is you come together as a team. You create a strategy, and then you work as a team to implement that strategy.”
Mathis also encouraged department members to support whoever becomes the next police chief, emphasizing that continued cooperation would be essential to maintaining progress.
He specifically recommended Assistant Chief Lance Deaton for the position, saying he believed Deaton would do a good job, though Mathis acknowledged that the final decision remained uncertain.
“Whatever happens, whomever is the next chief, if you guys just support them and you guys work together as a team, you’re going to continue to accomplish some great things,” Mathis said.
Throughout the celebration, speakers returned to the importance of leadership, employee development and cooperation among public safety agencies. Mathis closed by thanking those who attended and recognizing the people who worked alongside him during his time in Columbus.
The farewell celebration marked the end of Mathis’ tenure as police chief while highlighting the department’s efforts to strengthen its workforce, improve internal relationships and reduce crime under his leadership.
