COLUMBIA – Columbia Police Chief Kenneth Burton has announced that Officer Jessie Haden will be the public information officer for the Columbia Police Department. The position, created by Burton, is a new one for the department.
Haden, who has been with the department since 1993, is currently a part of the Community Services Unit where she serves as an Advanced Crime Prevention Specialist.
Burton said in a statement issued Friday that Haden will start her new job Monday and was chosen for the position “from a very talented pool of internal applicants and it is expected she will greatly enhance our efforts to provide accurate and timely information to the public.”
In an earlier interview with the Missourian, Burton said that the public information officer would "make our job easier."
Burton also emphasized the importance of the new office in its ability to "create consistency" in how information is released to the media in news releases.
Haden will be the primary, but not sole, media contact.
Her responsibilities will include “posting information on the department’s Web site, as well as responding to major crime scenes, and preparing an Annual Report for the department,” according to Burton's statement.
The department will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Monday in the third floor conference room at the Columbia Police Department.