For the last 11 months, Sgt. Jay Niles has been acting Chief of Police for Columbia Township.  In this interim role, he took over after longtime Chief David Elwell resigned to run for Jackson County Sheriff.

As a 19 year veteran of the force, Jay Niles was one of four candidates considered for the position. The Board interviewed those candidates recently by Zoom.  At the request of the Board, the personnel committee narrowed the choices to two individuals–Niles and Stephen Lambert.  Tonight, the Columbia Township Board voted 5 to 2 to award the position to Jay Niles. 

Below, view the video of the proceedings via a Zoom capture.  It has been edited for time, pauses, and relevance.