Longtime Columbia police officer withdraws name from St. Louis chief search
He’s staying home.
Columbia Police Department Deputy Chief Melron Kelly, a Columbia native who has been with the capital city department for nearly a quarter century, said he has withdrawn his name from consideration for the police chief’s job in St. Louis, Missouri.
Last week Kelly had been named by St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones as one of four finalists for the chief’s job in that Midwestern city of nearly 300,000 people.
Kelly told The State on Monday morning that he had informed the committee conducting the search in St. Louis that he no longer wished to be considered for the job. TV station WIS first reported Kelly’s withdrawal.
“This process, while very challenging, was very educational for me, and it was very rewarding to even make the top four for one of the cities designated (as a major city) by the Major Cities Police Chiefs Association,” Kelly said. “Columbia is my home, and I am happy to continue my service to the citizens here.”
St. Louis has been conducting a national search for a new police chief following the retirement of previous Chief John Hayden. Other finalists for the position include former Norfolk, Virginia, Chief Larry Boone; interim St. Louis Police Commissioner Michael Sack; and Wilmington, Delaware, Police Chief Robert Tracy.
Kelly has been with the Columbia Police Department since 1999 and, as deputy chief, is second-in-command to Chief Skip Holbrook. He’s held a number of roles in the Columbia department through the years, including in the narcotics unit, the gang unit and as a captain overseeing the patrol division. Kelly is a graduate of the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy, with a bachelor’s degree from South Carolina State University and a master’s from the University of Louisville.
This story was originally published December 12, 2022 at 1:45 PM.
