Chief of Police Jerry Paul

The man who has served as Columbia’s deputy police chief for the past dozen years is ready to step in and lead the department.

Jerry Paul, 49, was appointed as police chief following the resignation of longtime chief Joe Edwards last week. Paul had been serving as acting chief since Edwards was put on paid leave by the city due to an investigation stemming from unspecified domestic issues.

“I’m very excited to hit the ground running,” said Paul, who attended an orientation and training session last week in Springfield with 50 other new chiefs.

Paul has been with the Columbia Police Department since 1994, serving as deputy chief for the past 12 years.
Prior to arriving in Columbia, the Granite City native served with the Madison Police Department for two years.

He has also taught at the Southwestern Illinois College Police Academy for a number of years.

As for how he intends to guide the department in the near future, Paul said he wants to continue the same methods of law enforcement that have worked in Columbia over recent years.

“I don’t see that there’s going to be a big change as far as how we do the day-in, day-out job with our officers,” Paul said.

The key theme of the CPD is visibility, especially in the high-traffic area of Route 3 (Admiral Parkway) and its lighted intersections.

On average, 30,000 vehicles travel through Columbia on Route 3 every day.

“It’s important for us to be seen in the community and hopefully prevent crashes in those areas,” he said.

An estimated 50,000 vehicles travel on I-255 through the northern edge of the city.

Paul said the department will continue to apply for traffic safety grants that allow for extra patrols at busy intersections over the holidays.

The new chief said one area of focus will be an increased presence on social media.

“We want to reach out to people more via social media and the segment of the population that communicates that way,” he said.

Paul added that the CPD intends to be more involved in the Monroe County Coalition for Drug-Free Communities.

“We have so many property-type crimes, burglaries and thefts in the community where drug addiction is at the root, pushing this,” he said. “We want to fight it on the education front and also just make people aware that this is a problem driving these types of crimes.”

The CPD also hopes to strengthen its relationship with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Waterloo police, Valmeyer police and other neighboring departments, especially with interaction and cooperation on major incidents such as active shooter and other “use of force” situations.

“We want to reach out and train with our neighboring departments so everyone can be as prepared as possible for the worst,” Paul said.

He added that the department’s new deputy chief, Jason Donjon, brings a lot to the table in his leadership role. Donjon has served as Columbia’s DARE instructor for many years in the schools and has expertise in investigations, including the Major Case Squad.

“He’s very knowledgable and well-rounded in the law enforcement field,” Paul said.

Paul is married to wife, Cindy, and together they have four dogs. Paul said he likes to hunt, ride four-wheelers and restore old Broncos in his spare time. He’s also an avid Pittsburgh Steelers football fan.