Columbus Police Department Earns Statewide Honor for Leadership and Crime Reduction
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Columbus Police Department has been named the Georgia Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates’ Phyllis Goodwin Agency of the Year, a top statewide honor recognizing leadership, progress, and professional excellence in law enforcement.
The award was presented Tuesday during the organization’s annual ceremony in Savannah. The Georgia Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates selects one agency each year that demonstrates sustained commitment to innovation, accountability, and results.
CPD was recognized for significant gains made in less than two years, including crime reduction, improved staffing levels, leadership development, and modernization of operations. Department officials said the recognition follows a period of deliberate restructuring aimed at strengthening accountability, expanding community policing, and supporting officers and staff.
Like many agencies nationwide, CPD faced staffing shortages and operational challenges in recent years. Department leadership responded with a strategic reset that emphasized recruitment, retention, and investment in people and technology. Since then, CPD has reached full staffing, improved officer pay, and reported higher morale across the department.
Technology upgrades were a major factor cited in the award. CPD implemented Columbus’ first Real Time Crime Center, expanded camera and license plate reader programs, upgraded body-worn and in-car cameras, added drone capabilities, and modernized records management and dispatch systems.
Those changes have coincided with measurable public safety improvements. Officials said Part I crime has dropped by more than 30% over the past two years, with violent crime down 29% in the most recent year. Case clearance rates now exceed national averages, and CPD’s technology model has drawn interest from law enforcement agencies across Georgia and other states.
“This award belongs to our officers, professional staff, and their families,” said Stoney Mathis. “They showed up, stayed focused, and kept doing the job the right way, even when it wasn’t easy.”
The Georgia Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates is composed of law enforcement leaders who have completed the FBI National Academy, one of the nation’s most respected executive training programs. The Phyllis Goodwin Agency of the Year Award is among the chapter’s highest honors and reflects CPD’s renewed focus on professionalism, accountability, and results visible to the community.
