12/9/2018
Jim Evancho
The Jacksonville Journal had the opportunity to sit down with the newly appointed Chief of Police of the Jacksonville Police Department,Marcus Wood, to discuss where he wants to take the department and what makes him qualified to do so.
The Future of Jacksonville Police Department
Chief Wood has a lot of ideas that he is excited about bringing into Jacksonville that will benefit the police department and the community. With his extensive training background he has learned about different policing concepts from across the country, some that work and some that don’t, and he is looking to bring the department into the 21st century of policing.
The new chief intends on actively working with patrol by getting into a patrol car and working calls with the officers. He stated “I want to see what my officers are seeing, and identify any needs they may have to make their job more efficient”. Wood plans on being with the patrol division for a month or two to ensure he gets a better overall understanding of his officers.
Another area he is interested in is creating patrol zones and sectors across the city. A patrol zone works by assigning an officer or officers to specific geographic locations to patrol and respond to calls. For example if a call for assistance was dispatched to zone 1 patrol, a zone 2 officer would still be on the street in his area. Zones and sectors are a highly efficient way to utilize manpower while maintaining good coverage city-wide.
Wood also commented on how he plans to give his supervisors more empowerment to make decisions and become strong leaders in the department.He is a firm believer that supervisors are in a position to make decisions and should be afforded the ability to do so without hesitation.
Another direction he would like to take the department is to accomplish having a more community oriented police department. He would like the officers and public to interact on things other than criminal issues or traffic stops. Chief Wood believes the City of Jacksonville would benefit from a closer police and community interaction. The Chief also wants to create a business check’s system where officers will physically get out of their vehicles and check doors and windows for possible criminal activity while the business is closed. He went on to say those officers should also be going into the businesses and meeting the owners to create a bond between business and officers. The community system would encourage residents may go out of town and request extra patrols around their residence or to file a request for assistance that is not an emergency. For the community he would like to start a check-in system that may eventually be online. Chief Wood would like to see more specialized training prior to a serious event happening. He believes that each member of the department should know, prior to an incident, how to respond and who will be in charge until a command presence is on scene. Wood also intends on approaching Jacksonville State University Police Department to cross train with each other. In the event of an active shooter on campus it will be the JSUPD and Jacksonville Police that will be on scene first. He feels that by strengthening the relationship through training with each other, an incident such as that would be controlled much more efficiently if both agencies have a plan already in place. This cross training would also include active shooter training at the high school and elementary school in the city, again because JSUPD would be the first responding outside agency.
The Chief feels that it is critical that the department needs a Disaster Preparedness plan and needs to have a training program in place. Although a disaster is unpredictable they can be planned for, it will take all of the agencies in the area to work together. Chief Wood is looking forward to accomplishing this working relationship with JPD, JSUPD, The Jacksonville Fire Department, and Calhoun County EMA to make a stronger and safer partnership that can be pulled up and directed by the leaders of these groups. Chief Wood believes that this community is important and everyone should know that our first responders are prepared for anything.
Chief Wood the Person
Chief Wood wanted to make it very clear that he will keep the open door policy for everyone. He stated “I want to be very approachable to the public and want to encourage them to stop by and meet me or to discuss concerns”.
The Chief believes it’s critical the police department and the community they protect should be able to work with each other and make Jacksonville a better place for everyone. At times the officers can’t be everywhere at once; with community involvement we can address all the potential dangers.It will take trust with the community and the officers insure that information is freely exchanged to address crimes and potential problems. The chief is looking forward to earning the trust of the community and looks forward building a department that deserves that trust.
“Jacksonville has not had a new Chief for years and Chief Thompson is a pillar of the community. I don’t want to change that. I am younger and my ways may be different, but please give me time before any judgement is passed”. – Chief Wood
Wood is from Calhoun County and knows Jacksonville well. He has strong family ties to this area and is looking forward to protecting the City of Jacksonville.
“Jacksonville has not had a new Chief for years and Chief Thompson is a pillar of the community. I don’t want to change that. I am younger and my ways may be different, but please give me time before any judgement is passed”. – Chief Wood
Chief’s Career
Chief Wood started his career in law enforcement with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office in 2005 when he was hired to work as a correctional officer at the jail under the leadership of, now retired, Sheriff Larry Amerson. The State of Alabama does not require correctional officers on the county level to attend a formal academy but Chief Wood voluntarily attended an 80 hour class so he could be more proficient in his duties at the jail. During his 16 months at the jail he was also able to secure the rank of Corporal and became a field training officer to new correctional deputy recruits. In order to become a field training officer instructor he had to first attend a 40 hour course provided by North East Alabama Law Enforcement Academy (NEALEA) and then show proficiency with the Sheriff’s Office rules and regulations as well as the standard operating procedures.
After working 16 months inside the jail he requested to be transferred to the patrol division of the Sheriff’s Office. After completing the basic recruit class at NEALEA and himself being assigned to an FTO he earned the position of patrol deputy. Chief Wood worked on as a patrol deputy for approximately one year and again wanted to become a field training officer to help mold new recruits just starting with the agency. After completing a 40 hour first line supervision course with the FBI, Chief Wood served in the investigation division as a Fugitive Investigator with the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force with the U.S. Marshals for approximately two in a half years until he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2012 where he remained until 2015.
Chief Wood was offered a position at the NEALEA to help train police recruits. He accepted the position but had to leave the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office in order to complete the task. Wood did say that he enjoyed his time at the academy very much and liked being able to help the recruits.
After Sheriff Amerson retired and the newly appointed Sheriff Wade took office he received a call. Sheriff Wade contacted Chief Wood and made an offer to bring him back to the Sheriff’s Office and place him into a command staff position as a Captain. Sherriff Wade and Wood had worked together during the years they were at the Sheriff’s Office together and it seemed like a good fit. The new position would make Wood the Captain over the Law Enforcement Division, an area where he was very comfortable and knowledgeable.Wood remained in that position until the position of Chief of Police was announced by the City of Jacksonville and he applied and was subsequently hired.
Training Credentials
Chief Wood brings a wide variety of tools with him that may benefit current and future officers with JPD. Wood not only takes training courses but also works to become an instructor for some of those disciplines. He currently holds active instructor certificates as an FBI Firearms Instructor(all disciplines), Patrol Rifle Instructor, and Strategic Self Defense & Gun Fighting Tactics (SSGT) instructor (level 1 &2). Chief Wood also holds numerous other certificates in various types of law enforcement training and is excited to bring this to the Jacksonville Police Department.
