After 12 years in law enforcement with stints in area police departments, Adrian Gooden has now been named chief of the Inverness police. He assumed the lead position during the first half of August after former Chief Albert Carter resigned to accept another position.
Although Gooden is a native of Indianola, he is now a resident of the small Delta town that he serves and protects. “I think it is a good thing that Inverness has a chief within the city limits at all times and knows what’s going on in town,” Gooden said.
The new chief said he is humbled and thankful for mentors like Moorhead Police Chief Bobby Walker, with whom he worked on the Greenville force and Indianola Chief Edrick Hall, for whom he previously worked when Hall was leading the Inverness force. Gooden said he hopes to mimic the qualities he sees in them.
As for the biggest challenge he sees ahead in his new position, so far he said it is trying to live up to the status and example set by the previous chiefs, especially Hall. Although he has been in office less than a month he has already begun developing his own footprint. One of his first decisions was to name Officer Irish Johnson as his assistant chief.
Gooden said he hopes to hire at least two more officers, which is something his predecessor had also aspired to do. Before Carter left, he had other measures in place with regard to children and community safety and some that he hoped to implement including acquiring a new police unit, and Gooden said he plans to continue along those same lines.
In addition to Greenville and Inverness the first-time chief has also served with the Sunflower police department.
