New Calhoun City Police Chief breaks barriers

CALHOUN CITY, Miss. (WCBI)- There is a new top cop in Calhoun City and she’s a familiar face within the department.

After serving as a patrol officer for the past 6 yeas, city leaders appointed Latana Williams as its new chief of police.

A blessing, an honor and privilege, those are the words Williams uses to describe how it feels to be the chief of police in her hometown.

“The thing about dreams is like, sometimes it seems impossible, but with hard work and persistence, dreams do come true,” said Chief Williams. “I have worked for this and have strived for it and now I’m here.”

Williams brings to the job, 10 years of experience in law enforcement.

She said it’s her passion to serve and give back to her community that made her decide to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“Helping people, that’s like the ultimate goal in life,” she expressed. “We are put here to take care of each other, we are put here to serve each other, and so that within its self, that’s what makes this job more than a job.”

Williams is breaking multiple barrier, she’s the first African-American and first female to serve as the city’s top cop.

“To be the first, it feels great,” Williams described.

The Calhoun County native said she knows she’s in a field where there aren’t many like her.

Whenever she ran across challenges or naysayers that doubted her, she used it as motivation to keep going and not give up.

“It’s made me stronger,” Williams explained. “It boosts character and it keeps you humble, it keeps you humble. It makes you strive to be the absolute best because when you’re being told that you don’t belong here, or you’re being told that we don’t want you here because of the color of your skin or your gender, it makes you work harder. It makes you push harder to show that I belong here,” said Chief Williams.

The newly appointed police chief said she likes where the department currently stands and likes the direction it’s heading in.

They’re in the process of hiring new officers and enhancing things around the office.

Now Williams is looking to build on his momentum to keep the department moving forward.

“Just focusing on serving the citizens, whatever we can do to make every day life better as far as serving and protecting, that is our goal,” she said.

Along with being in law enforcement, Chief Williams also served in the U.S. Army for 13 years.

She’ll be replacing Tito Lopez who stepped down from the position in July.