The Columbus Police Department is planning a farewell party for Chief Stoney Mathis more than two months prior to his scheduled departure. The celebration is slated for mid-October but the police department shows December 31, 2026, as his official last day of employment. His tenure will be defined in part by a dramatic decline in the city’s violent crimes but also controversy within the ranks of the police department.
Under Chief Stoney Mathis’ watch the Columbus Police Department was named as the FBI’s Agency of the Year. Chief Mathis shared a detailed report with city council at the beginning of the year outlining the phenomenal reduction in crime. January marked the first time in a decade the police department didn’t report a single homicide. By comparison there were 64 murders in 2021 and 27 murders in 2025, the lowest number for murder in six or seven years. Columbus had a 51% clearance rate in Part 1 crimes last year. The national average is 17.4%. The city saw the biggest decrease in aggravated assault cases. There is also a 60% reduction in theft by taking motor vehicles this year.
Recruitment and retention have also improved at the Columbus Police Department under the leadership of Stoney Mathis. In 2021 there were 141 vacancies in the department. In December of 2025 the number of vacancies dwindled to 23. There is a direct correlation between staffing and police response times according to the chief’s February presentation to city council. The response time went from 18 minutes in 2023 to 7 minutes in 2025…